COUNTY OFFICIALS PONDER DRUG TESTS

LIHU'E - Should elected and appointed county officials be subject to drug
testing?

Officials addressed the question after it arose during the county Police
Commission meeting Friday at the Historic County Building.

"The public needs to know that we are drug-free when we hit the road,"
Kaua'i Police Chief Darryl Perry said. (KPD officers are tested on annual,
random and for-cause bases.)

Commissioner Tom Iannucci said all police commissioners should be required
to submit to drug testing and background checks as KPD employees do.

Perry said he agreed, that police commissioners and future nominees should
be required to pass drug and background tests, especially since
commissioners have hiring and firing of the chief as among their most
important duties.

But what about requiring drug tests for all county elected and appointed
officials?

"As a matter of policy the mayor and his appointees all take drug tests as
part of the hiring process," said Beth Tokioka, administrative aide to
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who is off-island.

She said the county would have to wait until he returns Friday to respond
to the question about drug tests for all nominees and members of all
county boards and commissions.

"That will take some discussion regarding the cost of such an initiative
and the legality of requiring our volunteers to be subject to such
procedures," she said.

The Police Commission is two members short of its seven-member
authorization, with Commissioner Leon Gonsalves Sr. being held over after
his second consecutive term ended at 2009's end.

Carvalho nominated George Tiffany of Kalaheo to replace former Vice Chair
Charles Fulks Jr., who was not re-appointed by Carvalho. But Tiffany
decided not to be considered for the position.

"We plan to submit two appointees to the Kaua'i Police Commission for
confirmation by the County Council by Feb. 5, and anticipate that the
council will confirm these individuals at their Feb. 17 meeting," said
John Isobe of the county Office of Boards and Commissions.