TOUGHEN DRUG TEST POLICY

SOMEONE SHOULD have handed Prichard Mayor Charles Harden a cup.

Mr. Harden recently wrecked his city-owned 2003 Ford Crown Victoria but did
not present himself for a drug-and-alcohol test, as city policy demands.

The accident apparently wasn't Mr. Harden's fault. But the city policy
still applies.

It seems that no one brought the subject up to Mr. Harden after the wreck,
but that shouldn't have been necessary. He should be well aware of the
policy; as mayor, he's responsible for disciplining city employees who
don't follow it.

Mr. Harden says he doesn't use illegal drugs or drink alcohol. But that's
not the point. At issue is the mayor's leadership.

By taking the test, the mayor would have shown city employees by example
that the policy applies to every employee.

Part of the problem may be the city's lack of a required time-frame for
getting tested following an accident. Prichard employees aren't required to
go immediately for the test, nor are they required to submit to the test
within any specified time frame. One hour, one day, one month, six months
ڙ it doesn't matter, which makes the policy almost useless.

In Mobile, on the other hand, any city employee who wrecks a city-owned
vehicle must submit to a urinalysis for drugs and alcohol within four
hours, which is reasonable. In Saraland, employees must submit to the test
immediately after an accident, which is even better, because it can reveal
an employee's condition close to the time of an accident.

Mr. Harden says he'll take a urinalysis any time anyone asks him to. ("Just
hand me a cup," he quipped when asked by a Register reporter.) It's a
little late for that, but this is a good time for the city to revamp its
policy to set a time frame for such tests and clear up any ambiguities
about the requirement.