CITY SETTLES WITH MAN HELD FOR SUSPECTED DRUG USE

The Reno City Council agreed Tuesday to pay $82,500 to settle a lawsuit
stemming from the arrest of a man who was arrested for suspected drug use
but later cleared of any criminal charges.

Police arrested Gerard Ahern, 25, as he walked outside of the Nevada Club in
June 1996 because they thought he was under the influence of methamphetamine
and possibly planning a purse theft at a casino. Ahern was held at Washoe
County jail for 17 days until charges were dismissed at a preliminary
hearing.

Ahern was arrested under the Reno Police Department's drug recognition
program of identifying, testing and arresting suspects who show no criminal
behavior other than suspected drug use.

The police department voluntarily halted the program after a federal judge
ruled suspicious signs could be caused by factors other than drug use.

Last December, the council agreed to settle two other lawsuits for $180,404
stemming from the drug recognition program.

Police officers still use their drug recognition training but no longer
arrest people based solely on suspected drug use. Two Reno police officers
are taking a drug recognition certification course in California and will
return to Reno to examine the department's program and suggest changes, if
needed, Chief Jerry Hoover said.