11 SDG&E; Workers Are Questioned After Yearlong Drug Probe

Eleven employees of San Diego Gas & Electric were questioned Wednesday by company officials after a yearlong undercover investigation into the use and sale of illegal drugs, SDG&E; announced.

Company officials said the investigation, carried out by a local security firm, centered on four regular employees and seven temporary employees who work in the customer information center on Ash Street.

Spokesman Dave Smith said the investigation was carried out with the knowledge and backing of the San Diego Police Department, although no local police participated. Smith said the employees under surveillance work primarily on the telephone and don’t come in contact with natural gas or “sensitive” equipment.

“They have little face-to-face contact with the public,” Smith said. “If you’re moving, or leaving town, or terminating your service, they are some of the people you might talk to on the phone.”

Security Firm’s Probe

Smith said the 11 were investigated by Narcorp, a local security firm that specializes in undercover surveillance for corporations that suspect employees of drug use. Narcorp officials were unavailable for comment.

Smith said that Narcorp gathered material for a year, “developing evidence that could lead to the firing or even the arrest of one or more employees.” The company will evaluate its findings in tandem with local police to determine “a course of action.”

Officials would not specify what drugs were involved.

“What these people say on the phone can affect the health and well-being of customers,” Smith said. “Some of our customers are on life-support systems. You wouldn’t want somebody like that to have their service cut off by an employee who might be high on drugs.

“If you’re an employee--say, a worker on the line--and you know drug abuse is tolerated by the company, that sends a message we don’t want to send. It’s a tone as much as anything we’d like to establish: We will not tolerate drugs.”

Smith said the company was “not on shaky legal ground” in investigating employees undercover.

“Our attorneys are fully aware of everything’s that happened,” he said.