Chicago Cops Face Random Alcohol Tests

Lieutenants and captains in the Chicago Police Department will be randomly tested for alcohol on the job and also will face alcohol and other drug tests whenever they fire their weapons, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Feb. 9.

A new contract also bans officers from drinking within four hours of going on duty.

Officers found to have a blood-alcohol content of .02 to .04 percent will be taken off of duty for the day, retested the next day, and randomly tested for six months. A second positive test would trigger an investigation from the Internal Affairs Division (IAD).

IAD will be notified whenever an officer has a BAC of more than .04 percent on duty; officers who have this level of impairment will be offered the opportunity to get addiction treatment.

The new rules were triggered by a series of high-profile incidents involving off-duty police and alcohol, including a pair of fatal drunk-driving crashes.