Drug-testing Plan Backed By NL Police

Union is first to reach tentative deal with city

Published on 3/5/2008
By Julie Wernau

New London— Police officers have reached a tentative agreement to be the first city union to submit to random drug testing.

Police Union President Marshall “Chip” Segar, along with City Manager Martin H. Berliner, signed the agreement at City Council chambers Tuesday.

Segar said the agreement will be vetted through the union's executive board today. Members will review it next week, he said, and police officers are expected to vote on the proposal and other contractual changes within the next two months.

About 15 police officers attended a press conference Tuesday to show their support for the proposal. Segar said he expects it will pass muster with the union.

“We have an example to set,” Segar said. “We're the police for crying out loud.”

Segar said he believes the decision to agree to drug testing is part of police officers' responsibility to safeguard the “public trust” and to protect the interests of city employees.

The agreement follows a City Council mandate that all city employees be subjected to random drug testing. Berliner said the city has already had talks with two of New London's three remaining unions and that the majority of city employees not affiliated with a union have signed agreements for testing.

“Some people are going to hit that bar and some people are unfortunately going to fall under it,” Berliner said.

The Board of Education, not the city, is responsible for negotiations with the teachers' union and unions representing administrators, secretaries and custodians. A representative for the teachers' union said Tuesday that negotiations have not begun. The union had a lukewarm reaction to the proposal during discussions in December.

Councilor Michael Buscetto III, who first brought the proposal to the council last year, said drug testing would ensure professionalism in New London.

“This is a big day in a little city, and it's never been done before in the history of this city,” Buscetto said.

Police Chief Bruce Rinehart said the police are setting the tone for the rest of the city.

Dozens of police departments submit officers to random drug testing, according to attorney Ken DeLorenzo, who helped negotiate agreements for New London and about a dozen other departments around the state.

DeLorenzo said there was a particular push for drug testing between five and 10 years ago, as testing grew more inexpensive. He said officers seem to be generally in support of the measure.

“They would like to know if the person working next to them is under the influence of something,” DeLorenzo said.

Most negotiations surround details such as how the samples are reviewed and an officer's rights if a urine sample tests positive for illegal drugs, he said.

In New London's case, testing would be performed by an outside contracted agency chosen through the city bid process. Those who test positive for drugs will have their samples reviewed by a health professional and be given the opportunity to explain any plausible legal reasons why they may have tested positive.

For instance, DeLorenzo said, there is no way for a test to distinguish between an officer using heroin or taking legal prescription opiate prescribed by a doctor.