Cops and Steroids Steroid Use

Cops and Steroids

Steroid Use Among Law Enforcement Officers

Drug crimes are a menacing problem for the society. It is more aggravated if the police force that is vested with the power and the authority to tackle the problem is itself abusing drugs. This may sound unreal but in fact it is the dismal picture of police departments across the nation. Police officers who have to defend against drug offenses, are themselves stained with charges of steroid abuse. The use of Anabolic steroids is on the rise among police personnel. Many police officers consider steroid usage as a vital part of their strength-training regimen in order to develop an impressive physique to subdue criminals. The history of steroid usage dates way back to the period of the World War 2 when the Germans tested the effects of steroids on their soldiers. The masculinizing effect of steroids seems to fit in nicely with the physical requirements of the police force. [Peter J. kraska] Let us discuss the issue briefly with some cases and see how the cosmetic interest in steroids has become a curse of the police department and how its detrimental effects have compromised the integrity of the law enforcement officers.

Case Studies

Officers start using steroids for cosmetic reasons of developing a brawny physique. However, besides the physical effect, steroids also have psychological effects on the user. It is documented that steroid use causes what is termed as a "roid rage' leading to more aggressive and violent policing behavior. Over the recent years several investigations have revealed cases of law enforcement officers caught up in the illicit use and trade of steroids. [Kim R. Humphrey] the most blatant example of arrogant and inhuman cop behavior that shocked the entire nation was the Abner Louima case where four cops were charged with sodomising the victim and torturing him severely till the patient went critical. Later investigations revealed that the one common feature among all the four implicated cops was the use of steroids. In 1995, the case of Bryan Grubb of the Borough of Hightstown, New Jersey, exposed the grave nature of cops donning the abuser role. Officer Grubb not only used steroids for physical conditioning but also did drug exchange transactions. He was caught in the act of exchanging the drug stanozolol for Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is not a schedule 3 drug and unlike other common drugs like ephedrine it is not easily metabolized and remains active in the body for a very prolonged time. [Phillip J. Sweitzer]

The case of New York v. Foley (2002) is an entirely different dimension of policing crime-involving arrest of officers belonging to different states. (NY to Florida). The officers were arrested in September 2002 and investigations revealed that the accused were not only involved in steroid trading but also of trafficking cocaine. Another startling revelation of cops on steroids is the case of the Davidson County Sheriff's Department in North Carolina where Lt. Scott David Woodall, a veteran police officer, was charged with many other officers in the department on many counts of steroid abuse. What started as recreational usage became more intense leading to undesirable effects where the police department became a distribution zone for steroids. [Phillip J. Sweitzer] in 2006, FBI investigation led to the conviction of three Boston police officers who were planning to guard and help in the trafficking of loads of cocaine. Further probing revealed that the accused cops were regular steroid users. This harsh reality has prompted the Boston police commissioner Mr. Edward F. Davis to be proactive and intorduce a system of regular steroid testing for all Boston law enforcement officials. As Mr. Davis puts it, "It really does revolve around the issues of steroids causing aggression in people and the concern around that problem." [Maria Cramer]

More recently, in the last year and a half, the NYPD has experienced a strange medical condition affecting 29 of their young police officers. Hypogonadism, as it is known, refers to a condition where the testosterone levels are very low. The treatment for the condition is administration of steroids. It is easy to see how easily cops obtain prescriptions for steroids. One of the officers was found to have bought steroids worth $25,000 in a single year, which clearly exceeds therapeutic dosage levels. Narcotics department has also seized stocks of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) worth millions of dollars from the Lowen's Pharmacy in Brooklyn. Several NYPD officers were found to be involved in the racket. Chief among them being deputy chief, Mike Marino, of the Brooklyn North patrol, and Jack Trabitz, head of the property-clerk division. [Sean Gardiner]