Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 Source: Jackson Sun News (TN) Copyright: 2005 The Jackson Sun Contact: http://www.jacksonsun.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1482 Author: Ned B. Hunter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) OFFICERS TO UNDERGO DRUG TESTS Substance abuse policy is not the result of suspicious activity within Sheriff's Dept. The Madison County Sheriff's Department has announced it will begin random drug testing of all its employees within 60 days. Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork said Friday that a new substance abuse policy implementing random drug testing will begin by Sept. 1 and will involve all 215 department employees, including corrections officers, and administrative personnel. Woolfork said implementation of the new policy was not due to any incident or suspicious activity within the department. ''We feel like if we are going to talk about waging a war on drugs, then we need to lead by example,'' Woolfork said. He said the new policy has two objectives: To create a work environment that is free from the negative effects of drugs and alcohol as well as the problems associated with their abuse. To maintain a healthy and safe workplace for employees and citizens. ''Most agencies are doing this,'' Woolfork said. ''I just felt like it was something we needed to do to remove any cloud that might be hovering over us.'' Jackson Police Chief Rick Staples agreed. ''You always here the rumors on the street about police officers being involved in drugs, and this is basically a strategy to counter that,'' he said. The Jackson Police Department has randomly tested all sworn officers for illicit drug use for several years, Staples said. ''They are randomly selected,'' he said ''That is everyone. From me to the youngest police officer, and you might be called more than once in a year.'' Testing for the Sheriff's Department will be administered by Workcare Occupational Health Services. The idea of implementing a random drug testing policy within the Sheriff's Department is not new, Woolfork said. ''We have, for several years, been doing pre-employment testing, and about two years ago, we (started) looking into this,'' he said. Staples said none of his officers has ever failed a drug test due to the presence of illicit drugs. ''It gives you confidence that the people you entrust the law to are not violating it,'' Staples said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin