Lehigh County police departments collected 944.5 pounds of unused and expired medications during the fifth annual National Take Back Day drug collection Sept. 29.

Medications were collected at 16 sites in Lehigh County. The total collected in the county during the last five events is 3,268.5 pounds.

At the most recent event, the Catasauqua Police Department collected 10 pounds of medications and the Whitehall Township Police Department collected 28.5 pounds.

The event was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Allentown Health Bureau, police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police.

"The public has overwhelmingly responded to the collections," said Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin. "My office and the police departments want to thank the public for getting into the habit of disposing of these drugs safely and doing their part to prevent the misuse and abuse of what are potentially dangerous and even lethal medications if taken by people for whom they were not prescribed."

The Drug Enforcement Administration said the medications that are collected are taken to an incinerator where they are burned.