Attorney general issues law
enforcement directive implementing
statewide random drug testing
On March 20, NJ Attorney General Gurbir
Grewal issued Directive #2018-2 concern-
ing a statewide mandatory random drug
testing policy. This policy supplements the
Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Drug
Testing Policy, which was adopted in 1986.
That policy required testing of applicants
and trainees for law enforcement positions
and required all law enforcement officers to
be tested if reasonable suspicion existed that
they are using drugs illegally. Here is a sum-
mary of the Directive, which is available on
the Division of Criminal Justice’s website.
To whom does the Directive apply, and when does it take
effect?
The Directive applies to all state, county and municipal law
enforcement agencies that are required to adopt a random
drug testing policy consistent with its terms. The Directive is
effective immediately, and all law enforcement agencies must
update their testing policies to conform with this Directive
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ APRIL 2018
within 30 days.
How does the random-testing policy
work?
Each agency must include within its policy
the frequency and number of officers to be
selected for random testing. At a minimum,
random testing must be conducted at least
once during the remainder of this year and at
least twice in each subsequent year. At least
10 percent of the total number of sworn of-
ficers within an agency must be randomly
tested each time.
Notice of the new policy:
Each agency must notify all sworn officers of the implemen-
tation of the random drug-testing policy. The notification shall
indicate that an officer shall be suspended immediately upon
an initial positive test result. The notification must also state
that upon final disciplinary action, the officer will be terminat-
ed from employment and will be reported to the Central Drug
Registry maintained by the NJ State Police. The officer will also