http://www.wftv.com/news/27767864/detail.html

OCALA, Fla. -- Dozens of Ocala firefighters are under investigation after police said six vials of morphine and fentanyl disappeared from locked boxes.

Ocala police said someone stole three vials of drugs from Engine 5 based on Northeast 25th Avenue (see map) , and three vials from Rescue Truck No. 1 from the headquarters last week.

The drugs disappeared on Friday and the fire chief has forced at least 35 firefighters to be drug-tested because it's believed the drugs were stolen for personal use.

Robert Altman, the president of the Ocala Firefighters Union, said the fire chief violated union rules by randomly drug testing his employees.

“Our contract states that we don't have random drug testing or selective drug testing, and only reasonable suspicion, and we feel that the fire chief did not have reasonable suspicion to drug test everybody in our fire department,” said Altman.

Police said only one person per truck has access to the locked drug boxes. Altman said he thinks someone found the keys, opened the boxes, and took the drugs during a shift when no one was looking.

One paramedic told police he unlocked the lock box and noticed the three medications missing. Residents WFTV spoke to, like Herbert Lofton, said the fact that this drug investigation is going on is disappointing.

“You never can tell anymore these days what people will or will not do,” said Lofton

Altman said he is speaking with his attorneys and considering filing suit against the department over the drug tests. Police said so far, no one has been suspended as a result of the theft.

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