Local News in Brief : Random Drug Testing Opposed
When the U.S. Department of Transportation asked the Torrance City Council for its opinion of a drug program that would randomly test the city’s bus drivers, the council, in effect, just said no.
It unanimously passed a resolution last week saying that while the city supports eliminating drugs in the workplace, it opposes random testing as a way to do it.
City Manager LeRoy Jackson said the random testing program being considered by the Department of Transportation would violate the U.S. Constitution’s protection against unreasonable searches.
The council was asked to comment because federal funds are used to help pay for the city’s bus system. The federal government routinely gives local governments a month to voice their opinion on proposals that would change regulations at federal agencies.
City officials say they also oppose the program because it would limit how the city could deal with drug use by employees. Officials are meeting with employees’ groups to design a program to address drug abuse in the workplace.
In addition, the city last year added a “warm line,” a phone line that offers information on drug and alcohol abuse as well as counseling.
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