{"id":995,"date":"2021-09-08T09:05:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T09:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5ub3J3aWNoYnVsbGV0aW4uY29tL3N0b3J5L25ld3MvbG9jYWwvMjAyMS8wOS8wOC9wb2xpY2UtYWNjb3VudGFiaWxpdHktZHJ1Zy10ZXN0aW5nLXJ1bGVzLWJlaW5nLXNvbGlkaWZpZWQtY3QvNTc1MDUwNjAwMS_SAS5odHRwczovL2FtcC5ub3J3aWNoYnVsbGV0aW4uY29tL2FtcC81NzUwNTA2MDAx"},"modified":"2021-09-08T09:05:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T09:05:13","slug":"not-all-eastern-connecticut-police-departments-drug-tested-staff-see-how-thats-changed-norwich-bulletin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=995","title":{"rendered":"Not all Eastern Connecticut police departments drug tested staff. See how that&#8217;s changed. &#8211; Norwich Bulletin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - You may flunk a drug test if you\u2019ve had any of these products\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Plainfield&nbsp;Police Department is sending its first batch of officers out for drug-testing this month, fulfilling one of the new state requirements set by a sweeping new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/2021\/08\/19\/police-reform-policies-after-black-lives-matter-protests-racial-injustice-violence-ma-ri-vt-ct-nh\/8191739002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">police accountability<\/a> bill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In addition to updated rules concerning body cameras, bias training and use of force, the \u201cAct Concerning Police Accountability\u201d bill, which passed last year, also authorizes the Police Officer Standards and Training Council, or POSTC, to require all police officers to pass a urinalysis drug test as part of a condition for renewal of officer certification.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">POSTC certification occurs every three years for an officer and is required for continued employment. Under the new law, every officer will be drug-tested at some point during their three-year re-certification process.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/not-all-eastern-connecticut-police-departments-drug-tested-staff-see-how-thats-changed-norwich-bulletin.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/not-all-eastern-connecticut-police-departments-drug-tested-staff-see-how-thats-changed-norwich-bulletin-1.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Plainfield police officers will begin getting drug-screened this month as part of a new police accountability law.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Critical reaction:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/2020\/08\/19\/local-republicans-critical-of-ldquoknee-jerk-police-accountability-act\/113951802\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Local Republicans critical of \u201cknee-jerk&#8221; police accountability act<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThere had been some departments that had taking a drug test as part of their union contracts, but not all,\u201d Plainfield police Chief Mario Arriaga said on Tuesday. \u201cFor us, and a lot of other departments, a prospective officer gets tested, but that was it. An officer would not be required to take another for the rest of their career. People are shocked by that, but I\u2019ve had to tell them, \u2018Yes, there\u2019s seriously no drug-testing required after an officer is hired.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Arriaga said the lack of specificity in the bill led him to create his own testing policy and codify it in the department\u2019s policy book.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Looking back:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/2021\/08\/19\/police-reform-policies-after-black-lives-matter-protests-racial-injustice-violence-ma-ri-vt-ct-nh\/8191739002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Promises made, promises delivered? A look at reforms to New England police departments<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cOfficers will be tested for a wide range of drugs, including cocaine, marijuana \u2013 even though its recreational use is now legal \u2013 opioids, amphetamines, steroids and other substances,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The department is sending its officers to the PhysicianOne Urgent Care clinic in Norwich with samples to be examined by Quest Diagnostics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe have two Quest Diagnostic locations here in town, but neither handles urine samples,\u201d Arriaga said. \u201cSo, we\u2019ll have to pay to send officers to Norwich and then cover the cost of the testing, which run between $150 to $300.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">If a sample turns up \u201chot,\u201d or positive for illicit drugs, a medical review officer will take a deeper dive into the results and conduct an interview with the officer, Arriaga said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Ready to serve:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/08\/02\/plainfield-police-get-updated-training-kits-help-special-need-kids\/5451017001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">These tools are helping Plainfield police better meet the needs of kids with special needs<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cOne reason for a positive test may be linked to the use of a prescribed drug, but if that\u2019s not the case, the officer will be discharged,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only exception is if there\u2019s an abuse issue linked to a prescription drug. In that case, we can offer rehab options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Arriaga himself went through a drug screening last month \u2013 he tested negative \u2013 to get a sense of the process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI also provided the policy to all officers ahead of time so they could get back to me with any questions or to see if there was any pushback,\u201d he said.\u201dThere was none. This is a policy designed to pick up a problem, one that shows accountability and our willingness to be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Norwich police Chief Patrick Daley said officers will begin being drug-screened next month under the new guidelines by the Gregory &amp; Howe, Inc. company, the same firm that conducts drug-testing for the city\u2019s public works department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Daley said drug screens were previously written into union contracts, but did not call for the testing of all officers or employees. Like in Plainfield, his department had to work out specific details on how the new policy would be implemented.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Off the job:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/08\/06\/plainfield-police-k-9-retired-wake-new-conn-marijuana-laws\/5454888001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Connecticut&#8217;s new marijuana laws lead to Plainfield K9&#8217;s early retirement<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThings like the frequency and other logistics,\u201d he said. \u201cIt seems like a no-brainer, but the devil\u2019s in the details. I think this will help from a public trust standpoint if it weeds out problem officers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In Putnam, the department has also for years required a level of drug-testing for employees as part of its collective bargaining agreement with members.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe company that handles our testing each quarter sends the names of three officers to me and I inform them they have 24 hours to be tested,\u201d Chief Christopher Ferace said. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done is expand that policy to include all employees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ferace said any positive test result would be handled via existing policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cAnd these are policies that have been in place before the (accountability bill) was passed and before I was hired,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at&nbsp;(860) 857-6965<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Plainfield&nbsp;Police Department is sending its first batch of officers out for drug-testing this month, fulfilling one of the new state requirements set by a sweeping new police accountability bill.&nbsp; In addition to updated rules concerning body cameras, bias training and use of force, the \u201cAct Concerning Police Accountability\u201d bill, which passed last year, also authorizes the Police Officer Standards and Training Council, or POSTC, to require all police officers to pass a urinalysis drug test as part of a condition for renewal of officer certification. POSTC certification occurs every three years for an officer and is required for continued&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/not-all-eastern-connecticut-police-departments-drug-tested-staff-see-how-thats-changed-norwich-bulletin.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}