Drug tests won't catch them unless they are doing the stolen drugs. What if they are selling them?

I'm waiting to hear from the local Fark police apologists why it is completely legitimate to not be able to drug test police officers when I had to be drug tested to stock shelves at Target.

DrRatchet: "We only have bad cops when good cops protect them," Heagney said

I disagree. Cops who protect cops who are committing crimes are not "good" cops.

Came here to make this statement.

OregonVet: Mugato: Why he the hell aren't they allowed to give cops drug tests?

Unions. Same goes for firefighters...

Some of what you said, but also the people that have to hunt down and destroy drugs are going to be exposed to them on a regular basis willing or not, so a drug test likely won't actually tell you much one way or another about intentional use of someone involved in the busts.

So sort of a "better to let a dozen guilty men walk free than imprison a single innocent". Which is theoretically one of the founding principles of the US judicial system, kinda wish they'd apply it to the rest of the drug war too.

Obvious tag too high to do its duties?

jaylectricity: Submitted First With a Better Headline: I'm waiting to hear from the local Fark police apologists why it is completely legitimate to not be able to drug test police officers when I had to be drug tested to stock shelves at Target.

Because clearly you are too poor to be able to afford drugs, so if you test positive you must be stealing from your place of employment.

Target doesn't typically stock recreational drugs. If they do, I have been shopping at the wrong targets.

Jim_Callahan: Some of what you said, but also the people that have to hunt down and destroy drugs are going to be exposed to them on a regular basis willing or not, so a drug test likely won't actually tell you much one way or another about intentional use of someone involved in the busts.

Found the apologist! How do all these drugs they handle magically get ingested or entered into the bloodstream?

I took a civil service job with the Treasury Dept. years ago. Full background check, financials, IRS, etc. But no drug test, even though I'd have access to millions of dollars in funds and sensitive personal and business records. The first guy I met during orientation was my new union rep. When I asked him about this, he told me that the Treasury union (NTEU) had negotiated a "no pre-employment testing clause" in the contract and that furthermore, there were no random tests allowed. Only in cases where both the union and management agree that there may be some presumption of drug use could they even attempt to ask for a sample.

I only worked there for 5 years, but smoked my way throughout. Funny thing was that many of my co-workers were the most open, abject drunks imaginable and not one of them ever was written up during my tenure.

redmid17: Drug tests won't catch them unless they are doing the stolen drugs. What if they are selling them?

Cop logic: use stolen drug tests

What's the argument fallacy about calling out your opponent before they even argue it?

Now I have to start my argument with the fact that I'm not an apologist, when I point out the fact that a police chief that clearly wants drug testing, cites an "undisclosed amount" of missing drugs to be the reason to drug test every police officer without probable cause.

Still waiting on a convincing reason why anyone needs to be drug tested for employment.

bump: police departments are not allowed to test officers for drug use

I gotta call bowlshirt on this one...

According to the article: Its true in MASSACHUSETTS because of labor-union pacts. Wonder if ANY state lets you test cops?

I live in this town, so I'm getting a kick out of the corruption...

I'm shocked. shocked that there are filthy pigs in massholia.

DrRatchet: "We only have bad cops when good cops protect them," Heagney said

I disagree. Cops who protect cops who are committing crimes are not "good" cops.

I disagree, Cops who are not good are bad

jaylectricity: redmid17: Target doesn't typically stock recreational drugs. If they do, I have been shopping at the wrong targets.

You've never heard of a fence? Target stocks jewelry and electronics.

Ah wasn't thinking of it that way

Dear citizens,
The police are your enemy.

...warmest regards,
Slave2grind

That evidence really tied the room together.

Random drug testing and financial audits of government employees should be mandatory. If they have nothing to hide, why should they complain? Make it a requirement of the position and anyone who refuses is automatically arrested, lose their pensions, and be banned from public service for the rest of their lives.

l3randon: Still waiting on a convincing reason why anyone needs to be drug tested for employment.

Said the job-seeking, habitual drug user.

CSB

Back in '82 a friend of my stepsisters got busted with about a half oz of cocaine. Was a straight up bust, she was pulled over for drunk driving and had the shiat in her purse. When it went to trial, and the "evidence" in a supposedly sealed police baggie was presented in court, she noticed that the contents looked very different from what she knew she had the night she was arrested. told her lawyer about it, and he demanded that the bag be unsealed and the contents tested right there in the courtroom in front of the jury.

So a Police Sergent was brought in, opened the baggie, took a small sample and did the color test in a test tube. The test came out negative. So the Judge declared a mistrial, and the stuff was retested. Turned out to be mannitol. Someone had switched the contents of the bag in the time it was in Police custody in some evidence locker and stolen the blow. She never told anyone that she had real cocaine, and what was in the bag was not what she had that night in her purse.

She pled guilty to a misdemeanor DWI and got off with a fine. The drug charge was dismissed. Nobody ever wondered what happened to that nice, clean lump of uncut blow. I'm sure some cops hooker girlfriends were pleased though.

"We only have bad cops when good cops protect them," Heagney said.

newsletter?

FTA: Heagney said an investigation is under way to determine how an undisclosed amount of cocaine and other narcotics went missing from the station's "inner sanctum," discovered during what he called a routine audit in August. He has since changed the locks to the evidence room, reduced the number of officers who have keys and plans to add security cameras

So in order to cover up the fact that he allowed WAY to many people to just walk in and out of his "inner sanctum" without so much as signing a logbook he has decided to blame the union for not allowing him to drug test anyone he wants without cause.

OBBN: Okay all you union boot lickers, please come on in a defend the union on this one. Please try to convince the rest of us how the union is nothing more than a safe harbor for useless and worthless employees. Please tell me the reason behind the no drug test policy. What kind of union would want a drug user with a gun in their membership? There was a time when unions were needed in this country. They have evolved from something good and useful to something horrible and useless. The faster they disappear from this world, the better we will be.

Unions evolved in order to shift the balance of power away from the employers and toward the workers. An argument could be made that unions wield too much power in some places, but abolishing them completely would leave a large power vacuum.

To put it simply, if unions disappeared completely, we would suddenly find ourselves needing to come in on Saturday...and come in on Sunday as well.

Dr Jack Badofsky: l3randon: Still waiting on a convincing reason why anyone needs to be drug tested for employment.

Said the job-seeking, habitual drug user.

Said the employed accountant who is still waiting for a reason. Thanks for proving my point.

\Like the drug warriors, the fanatical drug testers lack any intellectual or moral support for their position, so they fall back on all manner of fallacy.

\\"God doesn't want you to get high! If he did he would've put pot and mushrooms and coca leaves all over the place...wait a minute..."

ZAZ: Ace Rimmer

The chief isn't the one who set up the liberal access policy. The old chief was forced to resign last year after trying to cover up for his police officer son who was fired to taser-related misconduct. The new chief requested an audit. The audit found missing drugs.

Story from the local newspaper: http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2011/12/28/news/10715711.txt

Ah ok, thanks for the info.

Still not sure why he is deciding to bash the union for not letting him go on a fishing expidition. Does he have any actual suspects?

hehe, subby said "Rogue Cop"

Sleeping Monkey: jaylectricity: So cops can do drugs, but we pay them to arrest people who do drugs.

Same with politicians and the unemployed. I say we just waterboard them all to see if they do drugs, I doubt that's in the contract.

Hey not so fast there. The federal govt passed the costs of unemployment to the states, who then raise the insurance premium on businesses. Unemployment is paid for by private money.

Considering how many normal jobs require drug testing, I can't see any reason cops shouldn't have to do it.

But it won't help with stuff like this. When large amounts of drugs are taken from the evidence room, it isn't because some cop plans to snort 50 pounds of coke this weekend, it's because he's selling the drugs.

The way he's whining about drug testing tells me that he has no interest in actually catching the thief.

Has no one mentioned the fact that their evidence room does not have a security camera? Is that not ridiculous?