Pubdate: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) Copyright: 2002 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc Contact: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340 Authors: Sam Wood, Jake Wagman, Inquirer Staff Writers Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) TWO S. JERSEY OFFICERS CHARGED IN DRUG PROBE They Were Included In A Widening Investigation In Gloucester County After An Arrest Sunday. Two additional police officers in Gloucester County were charged yesterday with official misconduct in a widening drug probe that has prompted the county prosecutor to require random drug testing of all law enforcement employees just after the first of the year. Harrison Township officer Michael J. Thiel, 32, and Washington Township officer John S. Lombardo, 30, were charged yesterday with official misconduct for allegedly possessing and using drugs. Until his arrest, Lombardo was a member of the county's Narcotics Strike Force, a special detail of local police officers involved in long-range drug investigations. Authorities did not disclose the specific circumstances surrounding the arrests of Thiel and Lombardo, which came four days after police arrested Washington Township officer Amalio S. Gurcsik for trying to buy $40 worth of cocaine from an undercover officer in Cherry Hill. County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said there is no evidence that the three officers used drugs while they on duty. He said it did not appear that drug use within the two departments was widespread. Washington Township has 84 officers; Harrison has 16. Dalton would not comment on the number of officers being investigated in Harrison and Washington Townships, but he said every officer suspected by county investigators of drug use has been required to take a drug test over the past few days. "It's important for the residents of Gloucester County to know that the investigation does not indicate a pervasive use of illicit substances in any police department," Dalton said. Lombardo, a five-year veteran, has been a member of the county strike force since June, Dalton said. Thiel has worked for the Harrison Township department for four years. Bail for each was set at $5,000. Lombardo and Thiel were released on their own recognizance after turning in their guns and badges. The charges against the two officers followed Gurcsik's arrest Sunday night. Gurcsik is accused of driving his marked patrol car to Cherry Hill to buy two $20 bags of cocaine. He reportedly tried to buy the drugs from an undercover investigator from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The three-year police veteran was scheduled to work a Sunday night shift. Instead, authorities said, he called out sick and drove his police cruiser from his Washington Township condo to the King of Pizza on Route 70 in Cherry Hill. Gurcsik had been under surveillance for about a month, Dalton said. The three officers face dismissal from their respective departments. No officer who has been charged with drug offenses has ever been allowed to remain on a Gloucester County police force, Dalton said. Random drug testing of all law enforcement personnel will begin just after Jan. 1. Dalton said his staff would be among the first tested. Burlington County has required random testing of 20 percent of all municipal officers during the last two years, said Sgt. Jack Smith of the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. Camden County has required local police departments to perform random tests for the last year, according to county law enforcement officials. Police departments are required to report the results to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. When asked whether he thought the unions that represent Gloucester County police would object to the random testing, Dalton said, "I would hope not." Thomas Cushane, president of Washington Township Regional Lodge No. 86 of the Fraternal Order of Police, declined to discuss specifics of the case. "It's an issue that's more appropriately addressed by the state office of the FOP, the state Attorney General's Office, and the county Prosecutors Office," Cushane said. Stuart J. Alterman, an attorney for the Washington Township Police Benevolent Association Chapter 318, who also is representing Thiel, said he hoped investigators would proceed with caution. "My client possessed no drugs," Alterman said. "This started out as a confidential internal investigation that should have remained confidential until appropriately released to the public because there are sensitive issues involved." - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl