Do we, the people, have the right to mandate random drug/alcohol testing for all police officers?

About 90% of our citizens would like to see mandatory substance testing of police officers, especially during Internal Review procedures, or criminal investigations involving unethical men/women in blue, and those same citizens prefer that these unscheduled drug/alcohol tests be applied and carried out as most Corporations, agencies and companies do, that is they require potential employees to submit fingerprinting, urine and blood tests before hiring. (Some agencies may also require hair samples.) Police officers should not be exempt, especially since these important officials are called on to serve and protect us and our property.

(Discretionary testing isn't working because routine testing can be manipulated, prepared for and avoided in its scheduled form, the same as whenever a teacher announces an exam. To study for an exam in advance is easy.)

If law enforcement officers demand announced or scheduled drug testing for which they can easily prepare, it would only fuel doubts in citizens’ minds, that these officers have something to hide. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, correction officers get tested randomly. In most states, so do truck drivers.

We know well that officers are put into stressful life threatening situations daily. They are called upon to protect the lives of the public, to make on-the-spot mental decisions as required. It is common knowledge that stresses and socioeconomic difficulties are known to lead or escalate drug use or drinking to excess, so the policy for police officers to submit to random unannounced urine, blood and hair samples should not be open for discussion.

As a rule, police officers are bound to personally support the laws governing his or her jurisdiction. The citizens of that jurisdiction rightfully expect that the officer will be in extremely good mental and physical health while executing his or her duty, as is the case in any profession where employees carry firearms or have the responsibility to handle illicit substances. (It is against the law for drug dealers/addicts to possess firearms, yet it is permitted by current guidelines, that other potential addicts whom we rely on for protection may carry and use one because he or she has a badge.) If a police officer is going to carry a weapon and drive a vehicle at high speeds through our communities we have the right to peace of mind knowing that the officers have a clear substance free mind.

(In Canada, though, workplace drug testing is anything but routine, which is why retired Ontario justice George Ferguson's call to make drug tests mandatory for Toronto Police Service Officers being promoted or transferred to sensitive or high-risk units has sparked such an uproar. Toronto Star Newspaper - www.thestar.com.

Considering that it is legal in Victoria, Canada for police officers to stop any passing motorist and administer a drug test, isn't it fair that all police officers agree to be randomly tested as well?)

The exchange of views on this topic engages another thought. In the history of America there have been previous incidents of police officers working against the system due to their own personal demons or greed. Because police officers have the ability to shield and conceal their unlawful actions and addictions, it's necessary for management to use random drug/alcohol testing on the job. Officers who are performing their duties while under the influence are not only putting their partners in harm's way, but the citizens as well, thus opening up the possibilities of costly litigation.

(Only a minority of citizens claims that it is unfair to mandate that police officers be tested. Their position is that this action is not only an invasion of privacy but that other groups should be targeted before the police officers. That is, school bus drivers, teachers, governmental clerks, welfare recipients, professional sports athletes, Doctors, surgeons, et cetera.)

However, a majority of the hardworking taxpayers who fund the police officers' salaries feel random drug/alcohol testing of police officers is fair. We want to feel secured after all in knowing that the officer who is protecting and serving the citizens is not under the influence of drugs/alcohol, which in return will allow the person who's relying on the officer to trust that officer and show him or her the gratitude that he or she has earned. This should create a win/win situation for all, as these tests would help weed out the bad apples, and increase levels of safety for our citizens, while improving police professionalism, and creating much needed trust. The very foundation of civilization depends on trusted authority figures.

Citizens asking for drug/alcohol testing of all police officers are not an attack on the men and women in blue. The demand enhances respect and trust on all levels of policing. It allows undercover workers an added safety net ensuring their health is monitored and it gives governing bodies the ability to help those in need or discharge those abusing the system and their roles as public servants.

Random drug testing for police officers will boost the trust and integrity in that important agency, while providing a transparent hiring process that would equalize conditions in the work force, while also re-enforcing fairness, and safety for all. Without safety in our communities, there can be no substantial freedoms, nor economic growth, fairness, and safety for all. Without safety in our communities, there can be no substantial freedoms, nor economic growth.