New York City’s largest cop union is suing Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Adams for implementing a new “zero tolerance” policy on NYPD officers using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, the Daily News has learned.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, lawyers for the Police Benevolent Association alleged the previously undisclosed policy flies in the face of a legal agreement the union entered into with the city in 2011.

The 2011 contract prohibited officers from ingesting or possessing any anabolic steroid or other forms of human growth hormones without a medical prescription. However, the old standard didn’t require officers to run any such prescription by their NYPD district surgeon before starting to use it.

The new protocol — which was enacted on Dec. 26, 2023, and described in an internal memo reviewed by The News as a “zero tolerance drug policy” — beefs up the old rule by affirming that officers must “immediately notify their district surgeon” of any steroid prescription they receive and provide “all supporting medical documentation” to the surgeon backing up the need for the drug.

  • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    Honestly if I’m going to get into wrestling matches that decide whether I live or die, I’d probably take steroids.

    I wonder what the reaction to this will be. *Whoo. I guess comments must be acab instead of nuanced.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The idea that cops are in danger every day is complete propaganda. I’m a building maintenance worker, and my job is like 10 spots above cop in dangerous/most on the job deaths in North America, nobody throws us a parade and city funeral when we die. My job is more dangerous than a cops, and I manage to do it without killing anyone

      • cerement@slrpnk.net
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        6 months ago

        remember, the bullet proof vests that police demand for safety were invented by a pizza delivery guy

          • Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            As someone who has worked in 5 of the top 10 on that list. I just want to say I have never needed steroids. Not even once, and as far as I know I am not dead. I have been hurt a number of times (lucky not seriously) and can’t think of one where steroids would have prevented the injury. A cool head did a lot more than strength to prevent injuries, something that steroids directly interfere with. The best way for a cop to stay safe is to keep a cool head not taking a drug that actively interferes with thinking out a problem.

          • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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            6 months ago

            Do you think taking steroids would help when a 1400 lb cow headbutts you? No. What about when a suspect tackles you? Yes.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              Do you think a 1000 pound cow headbutting you is the only reason someone working around large animals might need a lot of strength?

              • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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                6 months ago

                You moved the goalpost. Mine was to survive life and death struggle and where steroids would help. You changed it to need (more likely want). Like what happens when you fail to pick up a bag of feed or move whatever heavy object? You try again. It’s not life and death. I’m not convinced you’re having a good faith discussion here, so ciao.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  6 months ago

                  You might read that link I posted. Again, working with large animals is far more dangerous than being a cop and it’s not all headbutting.

                  • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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                    6 months ago

                    Dude it’s not just death rate. It’s why and how steroids would reduce that death rate. You have to explain how cow handlers would reduce their death rate by taking steroids. You’ve not done that. Ok I’m out.

            • Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              What about being good at deescalation? The best way to stay safe during a fight is to never have it. Police officers that have had good deescalation training are A: less likely to have to use force, keeping everyone safe and B: better able to see a fight coming so better able to request the resources needed sooner.

              Yes there are some edge cases, but planning only for the edge cases at the detriment of the more likely interactions is irrational and irresponsible. It is very likely steroid use increases a police officer’s chance of getting in a fight, thus increasing the risk of injury.

        • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Well cops do in fact say that they’re in danger every minute of every day. We’ve heard their reps say it often, which is a false statement.

          This statement leads cops to believe they are indeed in danger 24/7 and every one of us is a threat, so they get scared and trigger happy and kill people they don’t need to kill. Have you tried approaching a cop recently? They act and look at you like you’re a locked up serial killer approaching them, and they’re the prison guards. They’re convinced we’re all out to kill him.

          I saw a funny YouTube video of a guy flirting with a cute female cop, having a nice interaction. Then another cruiser pulls up, saying it looked like the citizen was aggressive and trying to get violent with the female officer. That’s how cops are. Scared, paranoid, unreasonable…

    • halferect@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Are you saying the general public should be juicing so we can survive police attacks?

      • Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        The general public don’t usually carry firearms. Police do. Losing a wrestling match comes with the potential threat of your own gun being taken and used against you. That means losing said wrestling match could mean death. This is why people who conceal carry are the most likely to stay the fuck away from trouble like this. Police don’t have that luxury.

        • DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          6 months ago

          They actually do have the luxury of standing back. Ask the officers at Uvalde. Ask the Supreme Court.

          De-escalation could also help. But, no, let’s arm these undertrained, ignorant, and stupid…

          • Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee
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            6 months ago

            No, and I can’t possibly imagine what in my message made you think that. I’m more than happy to live in a country where the only people carrying guns are cops.

            • person420@lemmynsfw.com
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              6 months ago

              That’s a weird statement. If the police were the only people carrying guns, why would the police need them?

              • unreasonabro@lemmy.world
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                6 months ago

                It’s also the real situation in most of the world there bud. And in the UK, they don’t carry them.

                • person420@lemmynsfw.com
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                  6 months ago

                  I’m not sure why you’re saying that to me, or better yet what you think I mean? I’m questioning why in the commenters ideal situation only cops would have guns as opposed to nobody.

              • Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee
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                6 months ago

                Because there’s always going to be the occasional criminal that has managed to obtain one too and even if not they may have bladed or blunt melee weapons and tazers and pepper spray are not 100% reliable against them. Also if you’re confronted by a group of thugs you want to be the only one with a gun.

            • halferect@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              Because you said cops wrestling people could lose their guns and get killed so if cops “have” to wrestle people they probably shouldn’t carry guns because then they can’t lose them while attacking people

    • cerement@slrpnk.net
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      6 months ago

      what drugs do you recommend for pissing your pants and hiding?

      EDIT: found it – need to send shipments of tamsulosin to Uvalde …

    • Aolley@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Do you agree that those who are tasked with upholding the law should be allowed to violate that same law with impunity?

      I understand your comment but I don’t see how it could overcome the above question in regard to police officers.

      • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        The question is not the most dangerous job. The question is how does taking steroids change that. Steroids won’t help an electrician when 50 MV go through him.