News: Portland Police Union’s Proposed New Steroid Testing Policy Might Ironically Protect Anabolic Steroid Users Within The Department
Blog Entry #4
By Dan Chaiet, Senior Editor – Steroidal.com
The latest involving anabolic steroids in the news regarding testing and legality involves the Portland police union’s revision of the department’s drug testing policy under a 4-year contract. The interesting thing about this particular piece of news is that it might seem to ironically protect police officers engaged in anabolic steroid use. The general policy in this case is that police offers who test positive for anabolic steroids will not face penalties or punishments if it is the result of their use of legally available supplements that have been “tainted with steroids or prohormones”.
This news seems to be in light of the recent concerns in the news over various over the counter supplements that have been found to contain various anabolic steroids and/or prohormones in them – some of them in trace amounts, and others in larger amounts. In regards to this, it is widely known (and highly debated) that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) engages in little to no regulation of over-the-counter spots supplements. This lack of regulation has supposedly resulted in the release of supplements that have contained in some amount, anabolic steroids or prohormones. Because of this, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration are recommending that law enforcement officers completely avoid the consumption of these supplements, lest they “jeopardize their careers by ingesting unknown substances”. Experts have suggested that law enforcement agencies compile a list of approved supplements that are voluntarily tested by the manufacturers that would be approved for use by officers. In the light of these issues and suggestions, the Portland police union’s proposed policy to abstain from issuing repercussions for those who test positive based on the supposition that they ingested a tainted supplement seems to be a little strange.
This policy has yet to take effect, as a vote on this proposal is to take place on November 26. The primary concern here, however, is that this might possibly grant intentional anabolic steroid using officers the ability to use anabolic steroids, and in the event that they test positive, they would be able to point to a supplement they ingested and assume that is where it originated from. Digging further into this, it seems even more ironic considering the fact that the Portland police department recently went through a large steroid indictment, indicating that a large majority of the Portland police department was comprised of anabolic steroid using officers.
The question here is this: is this all just a modern witch hunt? There are growing concerns about the increasing rate of anabolic steroid use by law enforcement officers not just in the United States, but in many other countries as well. Some argue that law enforcement officers are those that would require the benefits of anabolic steroids the most, while others argue that the use of anabolic steroids by law enforcement is a dangerous mixture due to the fact that some departments have been known for excessive use of force. When the combination of authority, excessive force, and anabolic steroids are combined, it could be a serious problem. Needless to say, if a police department such as the PPD (Portland Police Department) establishes a policy that would act as a loophole to allow anabolic steroid use, it might be a concern if that department is known for its excessive use of force.
Many have commented on the fact that the SOPs (standard operating procedures) of many police departments are so strident in their claims that their job required the officers to be extra strong and aggressive that it is no wonder many incidents of police brutality have been committed by officers that tested positive for the use of anabolic steroids. At the end of the day, the use of anabolic steroids itself does not cause problems, but the type of person who uses them can indeed create a problem (see our article on ‘roid rage’ for more information). The police department’s record, its SOPs, and the type of person the officer is should all be considered factors before the steroid factor is brought into the equation. Perhaps departments should consider the psyche and demeanor of the individual before hiring them in order to determine if they are suitable for the job, rather than chasing after steroids as if it were a witch hunt?
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/11/portland_police_tentative_cont.html
