You may be used to the idea of police conducting drug testing, and alcohol testing as well. But did you ever think about the fact that police are drug tested too? As in many other professions, especially those that are safety related (and police work certainly is that), police departments can test their workers.
This news article (ABC News: Police To Be Drug Tested Under New Laws) from ABC News, an Australian outlet, details the initiative to bring drug testing into standard police HR procedures. It might surprise you that such procedures were not standard operating protocol to begin with. After all, police have to operate cars at high speed and sometimes negotiate very careful situations. It seems like a logical fit, but an argument can also be made that the police deserve our trust.
In any case, South Australia is intended to introduce mandatory testing for officers – and testing could be blood, urine, or hair. I think this says at least two things, one about the hair drug test – it must be pretty accurate if it’s going to be used in such an official capacity! And it is indeed very accurate. Secondly, about the South Australian police – if they use hair, you know they care, because that type of testing offers an up to 90 day drug use history. So that way you know the people on the job are not habitual drug users. Urine drug testing can tell you if they are high at the moment, which is good, but hair drug testing allows you to find out if your employee is stable enough – can and did they go without drug use for a long period? Is this person really drug free, or are they just clean for this test?
These are questions you can ask yourself in your own home as well. There are a number of options when it comes to the hair follicle drug test. But they all give you the unique power to ask and answer these types of questions.
So what do you think – should police be drug tested? More or less frequently than other professions? Or should they be exempt? Drug testing is as always interesting and thought-provoking.
