Drug Testing

Chief Gates' article presented the issue of drug testing of police officers for public safety as a current need more compelling than an individual officer's rights. There is another issue in this debate that has not been raised, officer safety. As a 13-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, I know that one of the key factors in an officer's survival is the performance of his/her partner and fellow officers. Police officers have a right to know that those in which they entrust their lives are drug-free.

Re "Presumed guilty," two-part series, Dec 11-12 After reading your series on drug testing, I can only think that somewhere, former International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage is smiling. He had zero tolerance for professionalism, and I'm sure he would have the same attitude toward drugs. To me, zero tolerance equals a gross lack of common sense. Do we expect all athletes to be chemists and know a skin cream will result in a positive drug test? I know the United States is a member of this World Anti-Doping Agency outfit, but I think we ought to give a long, hard look at what the organization is doing and give deep consideration about continuing our association with it. DAVID TURNER Apple Valley, Calif.

Why does the mayor need to know the chemical contents of her employees' bladders? According to news reports, Maureen O'Connor has asked her staff members to submit to drug tests ("Mayor Urges Staff to Take Drug Tests," May 10). A good administrator will know through everyday interaction whether or not her subordinates have a drug problem. In her statement, the mayor said the purpose was to set a good example. She succeeds only in setting an example for invasion of privacy.

Don Morrow had heard rumors that some of the players on his football team at Manhattan Beach Mira Costa were experimenting with drugs. Mira Costa is no different from any other high school in that regard, but Morrow and Tana Hausch, president of the school's football booster club, decided to take action. Earlier this summer, Mira Costa unveiled a voluntary drug testing program for the football team. Players and parents were given a choice to sign agreements that would allow random testing.

A temporary restraining order, issued to prevent the Marine Corps from drumming Staff Sgt. Michael Jordan out of the corps because he tested positive in a surprise drug test, was extended for 10 days Thursday by a federal judge. The Marine Corps should use the time to reconsider its action denying Jordan the special court-martial he requested to clear his name instead of being mustered out with a less-than-honorable discharge.