The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office collected nearly 60 pounds of prescription medication as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) national turn-in event on Saturday.

Citizens dropped off a total of 59.5 pounds; 21 pounds at the Venice office and 38.5 pounds in the Sarasota office.

According to Sheriff Tom Knight, “We are fortunate that Sarasota County residents understand the risk of keeping unused or expired medication in their homes and partner with us to properly dispose of them, and in a way that is safe for the environment.”

In 2011, Sarasota County residents turned in 1,438 pounds of prescription medication at the two Sheriff’s Office sites. The goal this year is to collect “A Ton in ‘12,” or 2,000 pounds of medication during 2012.

The Sheriff’s Office is partnering with different organizations to hold additional events throughout the community in the coming months, including National Night Out at the Sandra Sims Terry Community Center at Laurel Park on October 2, 2012.