Drug Testing Program Nets Two Positive Results

In the 16 months since the Revere Police implemented a drug testing policy within their ranks, two officers have tested positive for illegal drugs.

Mayor Tom Ambrosino and Revere Police officials indicated that the program has been completely rolled out by now, and every officer has been tested at least once.

In that testing period, one officer has tested positive for marijuana use and another has tested positive for cocaine use.

The names of those officers are protected by medical confidentiality laws, according to police.

Capt. Michael Murphy confirmed the results this week, though it was not clear what specifically happened to the officers as a result of the violations.

“Both officers were punished consistent with departmental guidelines,” Murphy wrote in an e-mail.

He would not get any more specific than that, and personnel issues within city government are not public record.

There have been no public reports over the last year of any officers being terminated, so it would seem the officers who tested positive for drugs were not fired.

A request for comment from the Patrol Officer’s Union was not returned in time for publication.

Drug testing for police officers came about two years ago when City Councillors pushed for the mayor to include drug testing for police in the new contract.

Through some negotiations, the mayor was able to include language in the Patrol Officer’s Union and Superior Officer’s Union contracts – and both unions agreed to the program.

The program began in November 2009 and officers are tested at a predictable time, meaning that testing is not random or unexpected.

There are more than 90 officers in the department, which means only 2 percent of the entire force had a positive test result.

The issue came to light moreso when, two weeks ago, an FBI complaint against Officer Todd Randall alleged that – while in uniform – he asked a cooperating informant if he knew how to get Percocet pills. The complaint indicated that Randall said he used to get Percocet pills by the “wheelbarrow” and “500 at a time.”

 

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