Here’s a quiz: How many drinks should a police officer be allowed to have just before going on duty? (A) 3, (B) 2, (C) 1 or (D) 0. Most people would pick (D). But in some Chicago-area municipalities, the answer is (C) or even (B). That’s right: Police are authorized to work even if they’ve been drinking.
In Worth, two village trustees are calling for a change in the policy that says officers are considered fit for duty if their blood-alcohol level is less than .03. Trustee Randy Keller told a Tribune reporter, “It doesn’t make any sense for police officers to be allowed to have any alcohol in their systems.” Under the .03 standard, though, an officer might down a drink or two and still pass muster. Is that someone who you’d want handling a firearm or driving a squad car in a high-speed chase?
Surprisingly, though, Worth’s rule, established in the village’s contract with police, is stricter than some towns. As Jo Napolitano and Matt Walberg reported in the Tribune, Aurora and Oak Lawn put the cutoff at .04, and Oak Park sets it at .08–the same level set for driving under the influence in Illinois. Many other suburbs have contracts that don’t address the issue at all.
But the only sound policy for cops on duty is zero tolerance. Police work is difficult and dangerous, and it requires a clear head at all times. An officer who has been drinking should not be entrusted with life-and-death decisions on the street. Worth Police Chief Patrick O’Connor seems to share that common-sense view. “If I find alcohol in their system, they’re not staying here,” he said. “They don’t go on duty–they go home.”
When it comes to underage drivers, the state says the only acceptable level of drinking is none. Anyone under the age of 21 whose blood-alcohol level is .01 or above is subject to automatic license revocation–a reading designed to avoid false positives caused by things like mouthwash or cold medicine. Many other states grant an extra margin for error by using .02.
But the point is the same: to disqualify anyone who has been drinking. Among the municipalities that have adopted .02 for police are Crystal Lake and Orland Park. In places with looser rules, a teenager can lose her driver’s license for having less to drink than the officer who pulled her over.
The Fraternal Order of Police defends these lax policies. It says that a tighter rule might bar a cop who had a few drinks the night before, and that undercover work sometimes requires drinking on the job. But you would have to drink a lot to have a forbidden level of alcohol in your system after a good night’s sleep–in which case, you aren’t sober enough to be working. And it’s entirely possible to make exceptions for undercover necessities without making an exception for everyone.
It’s safe to say that the average citizen would be surprised to find out about rules that indulge drinking by police. Most people would agree that a good cop is a sober cop.
