House Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations Committee chair Rep. Cris Leon Guerrero (Cov-Saipan) said yesterday that he is working on legislation requiring mandatory and random drug testing among all law enforcement personnel and regulatory agency inspectors at least twice every year.
Leon Guerrero, a former police sergeant, said this drug testing will not be confined to the Department of Public Safety's Police and Fire Divisions but other agencies as well such as Division of Customs and Division of Fish and Wildlife that have regulatory inspectors.
“In one way or another, this might have an impact on restoring public trust [in law enforcement agencies]. Our community knows that law enforcement [agencies] is drug-free, most of them does, but just to eliminate the people's perception [that some may be not],” he said, adding that this will be done “across the board, not only DPS.”
Leon Guerrero said when he was with DPS, he volunteered to undergo drug testing.
He said it's about “setting an example.”
“If one or some does it, why not everybody?” he said in an interview during a break in the Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment's first official meeting yesterday.
Under his plan, mandatory drug testing will be required among current and incoming law enforcement and regulatory agency inspectors. All those already in these agencies will be subject to random drug testing, he said. Because the bill is a work in progress, it is still open to suggestions and nothing is etched in stone yet.
Deleon Guerrero said he is working with other lawmakers, law enforcement agencies and regulatory agencies.
There is no telling, however, when his bill can be pre-filed because much of their time is spent on the Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment, of which he is a member.
When asked whether he would also push for random drug testing among lawmakers, he said it would be nice to have this implemented, in his personal view.
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