FEW COUNTY WORKERS DRUG TESTED

Only a handful of county employees are ever tested for drugs. Dallas County
officials say that must change.

At the Dallas County Commission's Dec. 10 meeting, Chairman Johnny Jones
recommended drug screening be done for all county employees.

"Right now, this is an issue we really need to look into," Jones said. "I
think we should be looking at the possibility of screening all employees,
not just some."

Jones asked Felicia Solomon-Owens, human resources director for Dallas
County, to look into the current drug policy, which only screens workers in
the road department.

"Right now, we only screen the road department because there is a more of a
need to screen them, rather than other departments," Solomon- Owens said.

Solomon-Owens said the county now follows a drug policy recommended by the
Association of County Commissions of Alabama, which guides how counties are
governed.

"We have merely recommended that the counties first screen employees who
work in the most sensitive areas, rather than have them screen all areas,"
said Buddy Sharpless, executive director of the Association of County
Commissions of Alabama.

"However, we do not tell the counties what to do. They are at liberty to
change their policies whenever they like. We merely make recommendations."

Sharpless said counties often pick specific departments for screening
because it is expensive to test them all, and because it is more acceptable
to screen in certain areas.

"Screening all employees, even the circuit court clerk, who may not be
doing anything all that dangerous, really doesn't make sense to many people
- - especially when the county has a limited budget," Sharpless said.

Jones said the commission is still looking into the matter.

"At this point this is an issue we are still examining," Jones said. "We
have not made any final decisions on it yet."