Why Police Use the Hair Testing Method. Drugs are probably the single biggest threat to the integrity of officers and this department. Officers under the influence of drugs is something that can't be tolerated. According to Michael Buerger, associate professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University, the positive drug use rate for officers in major cities is 1 to 3 percent. Police officers have access to drugs in the course of their work.
Community leaders raise serious concerns about armed officers under the influence of drugs.
Drug users are absent up to 16 times more often. Communities MUST have confidence that their police departments are drug free.