Why Police and Teachers Must be Random Drug Tested

Connecticut Office an Addict (Source: Theday.com) - January 2009

Cop's Admitted Drug Use Reignites Debate On Random Testing

Edwards acknowledged problem before his arrest; councilors see need to keep city employees clean

By Karen Florin   

New London patrolman William R. Edwards Sr.'s admission that he had a substance-abuse problem for decades has raised a lot of questions inside and outside the city police department.

If the high-profile police officer was, in fact, an addict, how did his colleagues and members of the community not notice? Or if they suspected a drug problem, why wasn't some action taken? Would the problem have been detected earlier had the police been subject to random drug testing?

And if it is true that Edwards was using cocaine, as alleged in an arrest warrant, did he compromise the police department in his efforts to obtain the illegal drug?

Edwards, 45, was charged Jan. 22 with sexually assaulting a minor and was suspended from his job as the city's crime prevention officer. According to an arrest warrant prepared by state police, Edwards admitted during the investigation that he has been battling a substance- abuse problem for years.

Edwards was not specific about the substance, but his estranged wife told investigators that Edwards had been snorting cocaine since they met in 1987. She said he went to a rehabilitation facility for a week and has undergone counseling, but his cocaine problem worsened in the past five years. The family began to have financial problems, went into bankruptcy about a year ago and lost their house in August.

Police Chief Bruce F. Rinehart said the department is conducting an internal investigation into Edwards' alleged illegal drug use. He said while drug addiction is a recognized illness, the department would be “very concerned” about a member's use of illegal drugs. From the law enforcement perspective, Rinehart said, the concern is how a police officer would obtain the drug.

”The problem for police obviously is that cocaine and other stuff is illegal,” he said. “You can't be arrested for being a drug addict, but you can be arrested for possession or sale.”

City police officers have admitted to drinking problems and been steered toward programs that could help them, Rinehart said, but he added that in his memory, no one in the department ever had come forward to say that they were addicted to illegal drugs. Rinehart is a 41-year veteran of the force who last week announced plans to retire in July.

Random testing under negotiation

In 1988, Detective John Santiago was fired on allegations that he had used cocaine and protected other drug users. Santiago, who was arrested and tried at least three times, was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia but acquitted of drug trafficking charges. He also was convicted of failing to assist a police officer by sheltering a man as police attempted to arrest him for several felony crimes.

Today, the police chief and the head of the police union say they and other department members stand ready to take drug tests to prove they are clean. Lt. Marshall “Chip” Segar, head of the police union, announced at a press conference last year that the union had reached a tentative agreement to be the first in the city to submit to random drug testing. Fifteen police officers stood behind him in a show of support.

The tentative agreement on random drug testing is not a done deal, however. The issue has become part of contract negotiations centering on medical benefits for retired officers.

”I'm 100 percent in favor of drug testing,” Segar said. “The bulk of the union is 100 percent in favor. The city has to negotiate in good faith on collateral issues.”

Since the announcement of the tentative agreement, the union has been waiting for the city to produce a study on the benefits issue, Segar said.

The drug testing policy calls for random testing of police officers, not to exceed half of the department members, up to six times a year. Testing positive for illegal drugs or non-prescribed narcotics would not be grounds for immediate termination, though that could occur if a department member repeatedly tested positive.

City Councilors Michael Buscetto III and John Maynard said they are disappointed that the unions and city personnel have not been able to implement the random drug testing policy. Though the tentative agreement is in place with police, the teachers' union has refused to negotiate on the issue.

”If we can't be coherent when we come to work, we shouldn't have a job,” Buscetto said. “We have a teacher who was caught smoking crack this year and a police officer that admits to a substance-abuse problem. Who else is doing what? You'll never know unless this city has the ability to enforce random drug testing. We not only pay these people for today's work, we pay them with pensions later.”

Maynard said drug testing could have revealed that Edwards had a problem and enabled him to get the help he needed.

”I would like to see us get it moving forward and taken care of, so if there is somebody who has a problem, we can help him get the proper care,” Maynard said.

Cocaine can cause mood swings

In Edwards' interview with state police, he said he sought treatment for a substance-abuse problem and depression through the police department's employee assistance program and elsewhere, “but that they were only temporary fixes.”

The police use an employee assistance program that is geared specifically to public safety workers. Like other so-called EAPs, the program allows employees to seek confidential help for personal issues related to marriage, debt and substance abuse. Officers get three free visits, after which they can use their insurance to pay for further treatment.

Edwards' wife told police that he had gone to a facility called “Silver Hills” for a week, which was all his insurance would cover. Silver Hill Hospital is an exclusive alcohol, drug and psychiatric rehabilitation facility in New Canaan.

Edwards was hospitalized more recently for psychiatric care. According to the warrant for his arrest, he became increasingly despondent during a Dec. 3 interview with state troopers. The detectives determined he was a threat to himself and took him to The William W. Backus Hospital to be evaluated.

He was admitted to the Institute of Living in Hartford, a psychiatric facility where he stayed for several weeks prior to his arrest. At his arraignment, a Superior Court judge ordered Edwards, who posted a $100,000 bond, to “cooperate with the Institute of Living.”

If Edwards had a cocaine habit, he likely would have exhibited behavioral and physical signs of addiction at home and in the workplace. Rinehart, the chief, declined to talk about how Edwards' drug use could go undetected for years.

Cocaine causes “mood disregulations,” according to Heather McNeil, a licensed drug and alcohol counselor for United & Community Family Services in New London. Users experience ups and downs.

”It's a speed drug, so tension, anxiety, irritability and anger are some of the hallmarks,” McNeil said. “In the workplace and at home, that may be followed by a crash period of lethargy, sleeping and again irritability.”

Additional hallmarks of cocaine use include impulsivity and reckless behavior, she said.

”It also could be marked by periods of excessive productivity, but kind of disorganized,” she said. A user sometimes speaks rapidly, is easily distracted and exhibits a lot of body movement, such as crossing and recrossing of the legs.

A family member told state police that Edwards experienced mood swings at home, was frequently angry and that sometimes his arms and legs were “very shaky and jittery,” according to the arrest warrant.