CITY WORKERS VOLUNTEER FOR DRUG TESTS IN CICERO

Cicero officials have begun drug tests of the town's 530 municipal
employees in a voluntary program that could be the first of its kind in the
area.

The policy, which began in January, asks all municipal employees, from
managers to clerks, to volunteer for random drug tests, said Cicero
spokesman David Donahue.

Initially, Donahue called the testing mandatory for all current employees.
But after being told that legal experts considered manadatory testing
illegal, he said the tests were voluntary.

"It's a good idea to ensure a drug-free environment for any municipality or
a government agency," Donahue said.

But legal experts say that drug tests on current employees, even voluntary
tests, are unusual.

"I've never heard of a voluntary policy," said Barbara Gosselar, a
municipal lawyer in Oakbrook Terrace. "Why would anyone using drugs
volunteer for a drug test?"

Federal law says that governmental employees who do not perform functions
associated with public safety should not be subjected to drug testing, said
Harvey Grossman, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of
Illinois.

"A clerk who works in someone's office doing administrative work or
whatever should not be required to undergo drug testing," Grossman said.

The ACLU has not taken a position on the Cicero issue because it has not
reviewed the town's policies.

The town has required its police officers to undergo random drug testing.
Fire officials have been required to undergo testing if they are suspected
of drug use, Donahue said.

He would not say how many people have been tested or how many have failed.

Cicero's fire and police departments are represented by a union, but the
remainder of the town's employees are not.

Employees have been asked if they want to submit to the tests and do not
feel pressured, said Ramiro Gonzalez, the town's director of special events.

"I was just asked [in February] if I wanted to take the drug test; they
said it was up to [me]," Gonzalez said.

Donahue said that while the town president, Betty Loren-Maltese, submitted
to--and passed--a drug test in 1997, the new policy does not apply to
elected officials.

Contributing: Steve Warmbir