There are no plans to implement mandatory drug testing within the Fredericton Police Force, says senior management.

Chief Barry MacKnight said the department hasn’t moved in that direction, unlike some departments in North America.

“It is not something we have seriously considered here,” MacKnight said.

But MacKnight, the chairman of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug-abuse committee, said drug testing is an issue that’s being discussed on a national level.

“It is something that will continue to be on our radar from a professional standards perspective,” he said.

The association hasn’t taken a position on drug testing, he said.

MacKnight’s comments follow news reports from New York City this week stating that police there are going to face random tests for steroid abuse, starting this summer.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said any officer who tests positive for steroids could be fired or face other discipline.

The decision to test follows an investigation of a pharmacy suspected of peddling steroids without prescriptions.

Some of the customers allegedly included police officers.

MacKnight said drug testing isn’t that cut and dry in Canada.

He said there have been a couple of cases that have had conflicting outcomes.

In one, the courts supported the measure, but in the other it was turned down.

“It is not something that the law is clear on,” MacKnight said. “It is a completely different story if you are doing mandatory drug testing.”

MacKnight said Fredericton has a relatively small department that has a “pretty good” system in place for managing the performance of its officers. Because of that, problems are seen more readily by supervisors, who are engaged in working with them.

“We certainly haven’t seen any kind of rampant problem at all … (but) it will continue to be a hot topic,” MacKnight said.

“It’s on the radar, but we don’t have any plans to implement any program right now.”

Sgt. Derek Strong, media liaison officer for the RCMP in New Brunswick, said mandatory drug testing isn’t carried out within the federal force.

“If we suspect somebody has a problem, then it’s more like situational factors,” Strong said.

He said he has never heard of the issue coming up before.

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