Steroid abuse with police officers is becoming a big concern

As an indication of how widespread the problem of steroid abuse has become, one need only to look at the New York City Police Department’s recent initiative this past spring to begin testing all of its police officers for steroid use. For such a historic and venerable social institution to recognize the issue as a pressing one, there must be an underlying problem that has only recently been brought to the public’s attention.

In fact, within the population of police officers that are also steroid abusers, many appear to be in some way implicated in the importation of such substances in illegal circles. In fact the former executive director of the Kentucky Chiefs of Police Association., Larry Gaines, has said that "I think it's a larger problem than people think.” One of the glaring problems with police officers using anabolic steroid substances is obviously the skyrocketing feelings of aggression and rage that often accompany the drugs. This is caused, in large part, by the massive dumping process of testosterone into the bloodstream of regular users. The hormone is naturally found in men with varying intensities. However, an overrepresentation of testosterone in the body is very difficult for the body to regulate and can cause severe mood swings and acts of aggression. Unfortunately, many police departments across the country end up trying to fight the problem in a futile manner or simply ignore the issue hoping it will solve itself. In the meantime, the lives of countless police officers as well as citizens on the street are in jeopardy. When taxpayers contribute their hard earned money to pay the salaries of those in power, we expect they will behave responsibly and without irrational motives. When police officers use illegal anabolic steroids to look more muscular, their actions break this unspoken social contract with the public. Another problematic aspect of the problem arises when we acknowledge that police officers, like other civil servants such as fire fighters and search and rescue squads, are also required to be in decent physical shape. While they are by no means required to look like bodybuilders, there is nonetheless a standard of health and fitness that must be maintained in order to complete the duties asked of police officers. Anabolic steroids are in no way necessary to the pursuit and maintenance of such a physique, however, this obligation to the public is often used as a guise to excuse police officers from becoming steroid abusers. It is unfortunate that such a reasonable and necessary mandate that police officers maintain an attainable level of fitness is often perverted into an accusation of public pressure. There has also been much discussion of steroids’ psychological effects in recent years throughout the media and public. In fact, some police officers have claimed that feelings of self-confidence and invincibility that are sometimes brought on by anabolic steroid abuse are actually needed to complete their jobs successfully. Others cited stamina and endurance as key traits that are available to them through illegal drug use.