POLICE DEPARTMENT BUYS DRUG-TEST KITS FOR PARENTS

WASHBURN, Ill. -- Money seized in a drug case is being used to
purchase drug-screening kits for parents worried about their
children's substance abuse.

The Washburn Police Department is buying at-home marijuana and
cocaine testing kits, which take just minutes to screen urine for
chemicals found in the drugs. The kits are being offered free and
anonymously to any Washburn-area parent who suspects their child may
be using drugs.

"The idea just popped out of my Italian head one day that this would
be the ideal opportunity to spend drug confiscated money in a
positive manner," said Washburn Police Chief Ron Rizzo, who purchased
50 test kits for $200.

"It will certainly send a message out to young people that we're
going to do this, and if they're going to experiment with drugs, they
may be caught not only by the police, but also by their own parents,"
Rizzo said.

Money to purchase the kits was seized during a traffic stop in
February, he said.

James Morrison, 40, of Hurst, was stopped for speeding. After
Morrison surrendered a small amount of marijuana, police searched his
car and allegedly found $16,000 in drug-tainted bills, Rizzo said.

Morrison was charged with misdemeanor possession of 10 to 30 grams of
marijuana and is awaiting trial, police said.

The money was confiscated and eventually distributed to the town and
various state agencies, as required by law, Rizzo said.