Pubdate: Sun, 10 Feb 2008
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic (WA)
Copyright: 2008 Yakima Herald-Republic
Contact:  http://www.yakima-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/511
Author: Jennifer Henrichsen

NO RANDOM DRUG-TESTING BILL THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION

OLYMPIA - Yakima citizens will have to wait awhile if  they want to
see their police officers randomly  drug-tested.

Proposed drug-testing legislation sponsored by Rep.  Charles Ross,
R-Naches, would have allowed voters to  pass local laws imposing
random drug testing on police  officers and sheriff's deputies with a
simple majority  vote.

Yet, with a bill cut-off date of Friday, and no hearing  scheduled, it
is almost certain that House Bill 3178  will not see the light this
session.

Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, chair of the House  Committee on Commerce
and Labor, which is reviewing the  bill, said he simply ran out of
time to address it.

"It is a short session and no one was really lobbying  for or against
it," he said.

Yakima Mayor Dave Edler, City Manager Dick Zais and  Police Chief Sam
Granato said they will continue to  push for the legislation, and
police unions said they  aren't going away.

"We knew it was late and a difficult sale E so we went  for the long
haul. We are hoping to have conversations  and build coalitions
amongst the sheriffs and police  chiefs in the state to start a
dialogue that enables  communities like Yakima to find ways to move it
  forward," Edler said.

In January, Granato presented a drug-testing proposal  to the
executive board of the Washington Association of  Sheriffs and Police
Chiefs. Although the board verbally  supported the concept of the
bill, the legislative  proposal came too late for WASPC to actively
lobby on  the bill's behalf.

Others are surprised that the Yakima City Council  continued to
address the drug-testing issue.

A neutral arbitrator ruled in December that the city of  Yakima could
not impose a mandatory random drug testing  program on its police
officers. In response, the city  drafted a legislative proposal and
presented it to a  handful of representatives. Ross agreed to take it
on  as prime sponsor.

"If the arbitrator can say no to that, we think the  laws need to be
changed," Edler said Thursday.

"We thought the issue was settled. This is a  sour-grapes maneuver,"
said Jim Cline, legal counsel  for police unions in Washington. "We
agreed to  arbitration, made our cases, and a neutral arbitrator  made
a binding ruling. The city wants to amend the law  so they can have
their way."

Other union represent-atives are also upset.

Bill Hanson, executive director of the Fraternal Order  of Police: 
Washington State Lodge, said Thursday that  his organization opposes 
the bill in part because the  city of Yakima is trying to go around 
the bargaining  process.

"The city lost in arbitra-tion and is now trying to  circumvent the
law to see if they can change it. We  can't support that," Hanson said.

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs,  rep-resenting
rank-and-file

police officers and sheriffs deputies, has not yet  declar-ed a
position.

Jamie Daniels, executive director of WACOPS, sug-gested  she might be
involved with a work group that will meet  during the summer to
discuss the proposed drug-testing  legislation.

Like other law enforcement representatives, Daniels said she remains
concerned about the impact the legislation would have  on collective
bargaining law and local labor relations.

Don Pierce, executive director of the sheriffs and  police chief's
association, said WASPC's executive  board members "are committed to
beginning dialogue with  statewide labor groups (namely the Fraternal
Order of  Police and WACOPS) with where we go with drug testing."

Although the bill may be dead this session, Yakima city  officials and
the police chief are not giving up.

"I am going to personally lobby the Association of  Washington Cities
and suggest to the Yakima Valley  Mayors Association that they endorse
it," Edler said.

He is also seeking endorsements from the state's  numerous Chamber of
Commerce groups, and said Granato  and Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin
are working through  WASPC to continue pushing the legislation forward.

"There is a real coalition of people that believes this  is important,
and will continue to give (it) energy. We  don't have any intention of
going away," Edler said.
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MAP posted-by: Derek