DID YOU EVER WONDER: I saw it happen. Why didn't cops put it on the blotter?

I have been always curious as to why certain crimes are reported in the police blotter, while others are not. Who determines what gets published and what doesn’t?
— Christa Brooks

There’s no hard and fast rule, and it’s up to the discretion of the officer entering the information on the blotter, said Colorado Springs Police Department spokesman Lt. David Whitlock.

Included on the blotter, (www.springsgov.com), are incidents that are newsworthy, he said, as well as items such as ongoing investigations where the public is alerted to a suspect’s description.

Online, the department says that the blotter is “a daily view of unusual calls for service.” “If we put on there every shoplifting or every DUI we investigated, if we put that much information into the system, it wouldn’t be valuable,” Whitlock said. He pointed out that CSPD responded to 187,502 calls for service through Oct. 31 “and that’s a whole lot of information to put on there.”

Whitlock said, “yes, it’s possible there are some things that aren’t on the blotter, for example, if they’ve made an arrest but there are possibly more arrests to come. But we usually try to get the information out to the public.”

Disposing of unused prescriptions

You ran an article (Oct. 17) on what to do with unused prescriptions. When my father passed away, we had a lot of unused prescriptions as well as supplies such as diapers and bandages. We called Medicine Project CURE, 10377 E. Geddes Ave.,  Centennial, 80112, phone: 303-792-0729. They take unused prescriptions and medical supplies for people in third-world countries who are unable to get and/or pay for medications.
— Cheryl Clinger

ANSWER: Thank you for the tip. Medicine Project CURE said they accept prescriptions that aren’t expired to send to developing countries. Their doctor examines all prescriptions that are donated. As you said, they also need medical supplies.

-- Send questions to linda.navarro@gazette.com with "Column Question" in the subject line.

A number of readers wrote that if prescriptions are expired they can be crushed up, mixed with water and put into a bag of kitty litter before going into the trash. However, some environmentalists advise against it because it could get into the water system in the future.

In the first column we discussed never flushing drugs down the toilet or crushing them up and washing them down the drain because of environmental impact. Another option: El Paso County Solid Waste Management, elpasoco.com (search “waste”), 520-7878

What’s with all the manholes?

The stretch of road on Union Boulevard from Academy going south to Austin Bluffs has at least 18 manhole covers, starting with a huge one just as you cross the Academy intersection. What’s under this road that would necessitate so many access points?
— Jan McLaughlin

It’s not what’s under the road, it’s the uphill, downhill elevation changes between Academy Boulevard and Woodmen Road. “You’ll see more manholes where there are elevation changes,” said Colorado Springs Utilities spokesman Steve Berry. It all has to do with the air valves required on the water system.