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Cameras catch Army recruiters coaching recruits on how to beat drug tests
WBIR.com
May 17, 2007
High school kids are graduating this month and many are headed into the military.
Advertisement
The problem is that many may be in combat next to a fellow soldier who has a drug problem and the Army knows it.
As the war in Iraq rages on, the battle to find new fighting men and women is waged everyday in recruiting offices.
Before they can carry a gun or fly a fighter jet, new recruits must pass a drug test.
The potential recruits are given one chance to pass their drug test when they show up to the Military Entrance Processing Station, but a hidden camera investigation carried out by San Antonio NBC affiliate WOAI caught recruiters volunteering to help recruits ace the drug test at home or in their office before ever heading to MEPS for that official test.
One recruiter made it clear that a person could still enlist even if he or she did not pass a drug test the first time.
WOAI: "What happens if I don't pass the drug test?
Recruiter: "Uh, well, then you wait until you can."
The same recruiter showed our undercover producer an actual drug test so he knew when he was clean and could pass the test.
Recruiter: "We have drug tests right here.
WOAI: "Ok"
Recruiter: "I can give you a test and if you fail it I mean we can't put you in 'hot,' you know what I'm saying? You can't. Then you would have to get clean."
The recruiter even showed our undercover producer how to use the test.
Recruiter: "Ok, you know how to use one of these?"
WOAI: "Yeah"
Recruiter: "You do?"
WOAI: " I don't want to do that right now."
Recruiter: "I know. I am just going to let you walk out with it, and you let me know, and I am going to give you my card and you call me. You pee in the cup and you hold it. You see the wavy lines? Go below that. Just hold it in there and you hold it for about 30 seconds."
The team went undercover to four Army recruiting offices.
In each case, the recruiters volunteered to help our potential solider ace his drug test.
Recruiter: "Now, what we also do is we have a lab downtown and the records come right back to us. We have a young man that took it yesterday. We send you over there, results come back and tell us what you're hot for and they tell us about how much time you have to wait before you take the actual physical down at MEPS in order to get a good reading."
Another recruiter told our producer how they avoid testing positive for drugs.
Recruiter: "Here's how it works, to save you from like getting in trouble, and to cover us. We give you one here in the office. We will not send you down to MEPS to take a physical or to join the Army if you did not pass the one we have in the office. We would not. It is out of the question. We tell you to come back every week. We would have you come back every week on a certain day and keep taking it until you pass and once you pass then we would send you down. Say, we didn't have the ability to, say, if you were take one right now and you fail, it doesn't go to nobody. It doesn't disqualify you from no job [because] it's official, but unofficial, you know what I am saying? Nobody knows that but my station commander and me."
"They're coaching, they're coaching people how to evade the test," said Retired Army Colonel Ken Allard, who was shocked when he saw what we uncovered.
He believes this is happening because recruiters are under pressure to meet quotas.
He fears the fall out of a soldier on drugs in combat.
"If he slips through the net and winds up in combat, he could wind up hurting or killing his fellow soldiers. That's the ultimate nightmare," Allard said,
"No matter how they may rationalize it, to me it is simply evasion. What they're doing is wrong and should be stopped immediately."
Lieutenant Rene Brown is in charge of all army recruiters in South Texas and was not pleased with the recruiters' methods.
"I was a little disappointed with my recruiters and how they actually stated our policy.
The Army has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to drugs," Brown said.
Zero tolerance means that if a person tests positive while in the Army, he or she is kicked out.
Brown claims they only pre-screen for drugs to save time and money.
"We pre-screen to insure that the applicants can meet the Army's guidance on drugs, no drugs at all," Brown said.
"We don't pre-screen to help them pass the test."
The Trouble Shooters asked the Army if they plan to stop pre-screening for drugs, but they have not given any response.
Link
WBIR.com
May 17, 2007
High school kids are graduating this month and many are headed into the military.
Advertisement
The problem is that many may be in combat next to a fellow soldier who has a drug problem and the Army knows it.
As the war in Iraq rages on, the battle to find new fighting men and women is waged everyday in recruiting offices.
Before they can carry a gun or fly a fighter jet, new recruits must pass a drug test.
The potential recruits are given one chance to pass their drug test when they show up to the Military Entrance Processing Station, but a hidden camera investigation carried out by San Antonio NBC affiliate WOAI caught recruiters volunteering to help recruits ace the drug test at home or in their office before ever heading to MEPS for that official test.
One recruiter made it clear that a person could still enlist even if he or she did not pass a drug test the first time.
WOAI: "What happens if I don't pass the drug test?
Recruiter: "Uh, well, then you wait until you can."
The same recruiter showed our undercover producer an actual drug test so he knew when he was clean and could pass the test.
Recruiter: "We have drug tests right here.
WOAI: "Ok"
Recruiter: "I can give you a test and if you fail it I mean we can't put you in 'hot,' you know what I'm saying? You can't. Then you would have to get clean."
The recruiter even showed our undercover producer how to use the test.
Recruiter: "Ok, you know how to use one of these?"
WOAI: "Yeah"
Recruiter: "You do?"
WOAI: " I don't want to do that right now."
Recruiter: "I know. I am just going to let you walk out with it, and you let me know, and I am going to give you my card and you call me. You pee in the cup and you hold it. You see the wavy lines? Go below that. Just hold it in there and you hold it for about 30 seconds."
The team went undercover to four Army recruiting offices.
In each case, the recruiters volunteered to help our potential solider ace his drug test.
Recruiter: "Now, what we also do is we have a lab downtown and the records come right back to us. We have a young man that took it yesterday. We send you over there, results come back and tell us what you're hot for and they tell us about how much time you have to wait before you take the actual physical down at MEPS in order to get a good reading."
Another recruiter told our producer how they avoid testing positive for drugs.
Recruiter: "Here's how it works, to save you from like getting in trouble, and to cover us. We give you one here in the office. We will not send you down to MEPS to take a physical or to join the Army if you did not pass the one we have in the office. We would not. It is out of the question. We tell you to come back every week. We would have you come back every week on a certain day and keep taking it until you pass and once you pass then we would send you down. Say, we didn't have the ability to, say, if you were take one right now and you fail, it doesn't go to nobody. It doesn't disqualify you from no job [because] it's official, but unofficial, you know what I am saying? Nobody knows that but my station commander and me."
"They're coaching, they're coaching people how to evade the test," said Retired Army Colonel Ken Allard, who was shocked when he saw what we uncovered.
He believes this is happening because recruiters are under pressure to meet quotas.
He fears the fall out of a soldier on drugs in combat.
"If he slips through the net and winds up in combat, he could wind up hurting or killing his fellow soldiers. That's the ultimate nightmare," Allard said,
"No matter how they may rationalize it, to me it is simply evasion. What they're doing is wrong and should be stopped immediately."
Lieutenant Rene Brown is in charge of all army recruiters in South Texas and was not pleased with the recruiters' methods.
"I was a little disappointed with my recruiters and how they actually stated our policy.
The Army has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to drugs," Brown said.
Zero tolerance means that if a person tests positive while in the Army, he or she is kicked out.
Brown claims they only pre-screen for drugs to save time and money.
"We pre-screen to insure that the applicants can meet the Army's guidance on drugs, no drugs at all," Brown said.
"We don't pre-screen to help them pass the test."
The Trouble Shooters asked the Army if they plan to stop pre-screening for drugs, but they have not given any response.
Link
