Smithtown eyes expanding workers drug tests

Stung by the arrests of seven town employees on suspicion of drug possession in the last 12 months, the Smithtown Town Board is pushing to expand random drug testing to cover all employees who drive municipal vehicles.

The town currently tests only those employees who have a commercial driver's license and drive heavy-duty vehicles, as mandated by federal law. Each of the town's four councilmen - Robert Creighton, Kevin Malloy, Thomas J. McCarthy and Edward Wehrheim - has expressed interest in expanding the drug testing.

Drug use, Wehrheim said, is "far more widespread than we had thought, and that's why we decided we need a policy to keep the public safe."

Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio and Civil Service Employees Association representative Kelly Brown said expanded testing must be negotiated with the union, which represents most town employees. Negotiations for a new contract are ongoing.

"I will attempt to negotiate enlarging the pool of drivers," Vecchio said.

Seven Long Island towns do more than the minimum federally mandated random drug testing. On Shelter Island, for example, the town board voted in 2009 to adopt random drug testing for all town employees - including the supervisor.

"We had a heck of a debate . . . but it seems to be working pretty well," Supervisor James Dougherty said.

In February 2010, following an investigation, four Smithtown highway workers, including two supervisors who are not in the pool of those tested, were arrested on town property for allegedly holding drugs - two for possession of heroin, the other two for marijuana. On Dec. 16, three more employees were arrested and later charged with possession of marijuana. All were suspended without pay.

All of those arrested drive town vehicles in their jobs, and that worries Wehrheim, who said the seven arrests might not be isolated incidents.

Penalties for positive drug tests must be negotiated by the town and union and typically result in immediate demotion, and the employee is ordered into the town's employee assistance program. Penalties escalate for repeat offenders up to termination.

Citing testing as a way to protect residents from drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Malloy said, "We owe it to the public."

The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1981 requires random drug and alcohol testing for anyone with a commercial driver's license and in a "safety sensitive" job, including driving a vehicle that weighs more than 26,001 pounds, transports 16 or more passengers, or carries hazardous materials such as explosives.

Wehrheim and his fellow councilmen also want to expand drug education in the town.

Elaine Economopoulos, director of the town's Drug and Alcohol Services program, said talking with town employees might make those workers more likely to ask for help.

Noting that the drug problem is not limited to teens, Jeffrey Reynolds, executive director of Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, said testing is a way to protect the public, and provide a way for employees to get the help they need. "I wish all employers were that proactive," he said of Smithtown.