Police to Use Urine Analyzing Port-a-Potties at Juggalo Gathering and Phish Summer Tour

• Entering the wrong Port-a-Potty at the Juggalo Gathering could lead to arrest.

<National Report>Law enforcement officials in Ohio have announced that they will be utilizing drug testing Port-a- Potties to monitor drug and alcohol use at theupcoming Juggalo Gathering. The decision came shortly after several cities hosting Phish Summer Tour concertsannounced that they would be working together to implement the use of urine analyzing Port-a-Potties at the concert venues. The Port-a-Potties, called PortaLab,were recently developed for law enforcement use by the Wyoming Institute of Technology (WIT) and can detect a wide array of legal and illegal drugs.

PortaLab looks and functions exactly like a traditional Port-a-Potty. Users enter the PortaLab and deposit urine in a normal manner. Unlike a traditional Port-a-Potty, however, PortaLab is able to analyze the urine for drugs and alcohol and wirelessly report the results to nearby law enforcement. The analysis is completed in less than 15 seconds, which allows law enforcement to intercept individuals with illegal drugs or excess alcohol in their systems as they exit PortaLab. PortaLab relies on an advanced chemical testing technique called an ELISA assay, which is the same technology used in at home pregnancy tests. Ohio officials have leased 15 PortaLab units from WIT. The units will be placed alongside traditional Port-a-Potties at The Gathering to randomly screen participants for drugs and alcohol.

For some, this practice is an infringement on personal freedom and liberties. Self proclaimed Juggalo and five time Gathering attendee John Fredlin was disgusted by the proposal:

This is just another intrusion into our lives. Everyone is always down on the los and lettes. We’re just trying to have a good time and be left alone. They’re coming in here, to our party, stealing our pee, and then arresting us. That isn’t right.

Despite such protests, the ACLU has said that law enforcement is well within their rights in using PortaLab. PortaLab has been tested extensively and has been deemed accurate enough for its results to be used in a court of law. Further, in most states, you don’t retain ownership of your urine when urinating in a publicly placed Port-a-Potty. ACLU spokesperson Mike Halbrock offered the following explanation, citing a 1988 Supreme Court ruling:

Urinating in a public restroom is a lot like throwing your garbage away at the curb. The Supreme Court decided nearly 30 years ago that law enforcement could search through your trash at the curb without a warrant. That same concept applies here. Law enforcement officials are free to test, examine, or collect whatever you are depositing in these Port-a-Potties and they can press charges based on what they find. This issue was settled by the courts long ago.

While concertgoers and civil rights advocates are disappointed with the implementation of PortaLab, law enforcement officials are excited by its potential. Ohio State Police consultant Gary Richland had only praise for the new tool:

PortaLab will allow us to police these large events in a way we’ve never been able to. Before the development of PortaLab, we have been limited to searches and the occasional field sobriety test. These interventions require manhours that we just don’t have. PortaLab automates the screening, so we can just come in and arrest the offending individual. This will be particularly effective at the Juggalo Gathering. The attendees of the Gathering are known to be heavy users of drugs and alcohol who are prone to violence. PortaLab screening will allow us to remove intoxicated individuals quickly and efficiently which will prevent potential gang related violent events. I am also very excited about the implementation of PortaLab at Phish Summer Tour venues. Listeners of Phish music are heavy drug abusers, and PortaLab will certainly help in our fight to end drug abuse.

The Juggalo Gathering will take place from July 23 through July 27 in Thrornville OH. Residents there are preparing for the influx of potentially dangerous Juggalos. Previous Juggalo concerts have ended in riots and animal violence.