PROACTIVE DRUG TESTS WISE

Being proactive instead of reactive should be the goal of all government
agencies, but saying it is a lot easier than accomplishing it. Therefore,
we are pleased by Colorado State Patrol efforts to conduct random drug
testing on employees. CSP workers are placed in a position of public trust,
and citizens are better served if problems such as drug and alcohol abuse
and addiction are discovered before a tragic mistake occurs or ongoing
abuses are discovered.

Patrol Chief Lonnie Westphal assured lawmakers that nothing to be concerned
about has happened within the ranks of the CSP. He simply wants to be on
top of situations that plague a number of people in all walks of life.

If employees are found to have problems associated with alcohol or
prescription-drug abuse, they can receive treatment that in the long run
could help save their jobs and avert serious problems. Illegal drug usage,
on the other hand, is something that should not be tolerated in the CSP.

It makes perfect sense to conduct random drug tests on employees whose job
it is to protect the public. How else would the military have known that
illegal drugs like Ecstasy are on the rise? The military, which conducts
random urinalysis, has found out recently that such designer drugs are
harder to detect than marijuana and cocaine but are becoming more prevalent.

Because of random drug testing, Colorado Springs facilities of the Air
Force have been discovered to have personnel who have used illegal substances.

Just this past summer, Airman Jason A. Huchel, who worked at Peterson Air
Force Base, was sentenced to five years in prison on 10 counts of using and
distributing Ecstasy, LSD, marijuana and other drugs. That court-martial
was just one example of several drug cases prosecuted or under
investigation at the nearby Air Force Academy.

Meanwhile, several military police officers in the Army at Fort Bragg,
N.C., were charged with drug-related offenses earlier this year.

In addition to the military, all workers associated with public protection
should undergo random drug testing.

In 1999, when the Boston Police Department began yearly drug testing, it
found more than 1,000 officers who tested positive right off the bat. The
police commissioner at that time said drugs were probably the largest
threat to the integrity of a police department.

Westphal agrees, saying that he's pursuing the issue in an effort to
reinforce public trust and confidence in the CSP. We applaud his efforts to
know about illegal activity within his command and to assure the public it
is getting the best possible service from the agency.