ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Police Department says police officers involved in a shooting or serious vehicle accident will undergo testing for drugs and alcohol.
The department announced the move Friday, days after tests revealed an off-duty officer who wrecked a police vehicle had alcohol and cocaine in his system. The officer, who has resigned, had been involved in a fatal shooting in 2014. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (https://bit.ly/1Pp6kf2) an investigation found the shooting justified but did not include a toxicology test.
Officers currently have to submit to random drug tests every three years, or two years in some special assignments, or if there is reasonable suspicion of a problem.
Chief Sam Dotson said in a prepared statement the department’s been researching the matter since 2014.
The new policy begins immediately.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, https://www.stltoday.com
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