Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Police Commissioner Lefiti Atiulagi Pese informed senators yesterday that three DPS officers have been given termination letters after their drug test results came back positive.

Lefiti made the public revelation, responding to a query from Sen. Fonoti Tafa’ifa Aufata during the Senate Public Safety/Homeland Security Committee hearing on an Administration bill which “provides for implied consent testing of drivers suspected of drug impaired driving and drivers involved in deadly or serious injury accidents”.

(Samoa News will report in future editions on the specific discussion regarding the Administration bill.)

Fonoti asked if any police officers are involved in drugs. She’s concerned with public perception of the government’s current focus on others, but the drug problem in the territory may be rooted within the police service.

In response, Lefiti said that after a thorough review and probe, which was carried out in accordance with the law, some individuals were subjected to “drug testing” which was done at LBJ Medical Center lab.

And he received word back on Tuesday of the positive drug tests; and that has been confirmed by a lab in Hawai’i. With the positive results, Lefiti shared with senators the “action” that he is taking where the three officers who tested positive were called into his office yesterday and given their letters of “termination”.

Fonoti and other committee members commended the Police Commissioner for the action taken.

Lefiti didn’t share any other specific details publicly — such as what prompted the drug testing and how many were tested.

Samoa News points out that provisions of the current alcohol and drug testing law for all ASG employees calls for testing “without reasonable suspicion” of any employee who works in a “Safety-Sensitive Position”. 

It states that each year, at least 25% of “Safety-Sensitive Positions” will be tested for alcohol misuse, while 50% of the said employees will be tested for drug use. The law identifies safety-sensitive positions, to include but not limited to police officers and other law enforcement officers.

Also during yesterday’s session, Lefiti told senators that four officers with the DPS Vice and Narcotics Division will be attending training in Florida in either April or May.