CITY COPS TO UNDERGO RANDOM DRUG TESTS

Paintsville's interim Police Chief Larry Vanhoose announced Thursday
afternoon that Mayor Doug Pugh will be signing an executive order that will
require random drug testing of the city's police officers.

Vanhoose said that he wants to move the integrity of the department forward
and that drug testing will be the first step toward this. He also added
that every other police department in the area already has a drug testing
policy in effect.

"This should have been done a long time ago," Vanhoose said.

He said that he doesn't suspect that an officer within his department is
taking illegal drugs, but he wants to eliminate any possible problems.

According to the executive order, all members of the police department will
be required to take a drug test, and that the tests will be taken as soon
as can be scheduled immediately following the signing of the order.

It also states that it will be the policy of the police department that all
officers will be subject to random drug testing, and that any officer
refusing to submit to the initial drug test or any subsequent random drug
test will have their employment with the City of Paintsville terminated
immediately.