Edict bans supplements
The NYPD is cracking down on “flex offenders” — warning workout warriors on the force that they could be fired if they take what they believe is a legal, over-the-counter muscle-building supplement that leads to a failed drug test, The Post has learned.
Cops “are responsible for anything ingested, injected or introduced into their bodies,” declares the directive fired off Dec. 26 to all members with the subject line, “Possession or ingestion of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and nutritional supplements.”
The memo doesn’t list any specific brand or ingredient, only noting supplements may include “prohibited, banned, or illegal substances” that may lead to “a drug test failure.”
The operations order comes after an unknown number of police officers tested positive for banned substances such as anabolic steroids and blamed the results on weight-lifting supplements, a law enforcement source said.
“The department is saying, ‘We’re not going to take that as an excuse anymore,’” the source said. “If you test positive for a steroid and you don’t have a valid prescription for it, don’t come to us and say, ‘I was taking a workout supplement.’ ”
Police officers who fail one drug test can be fired if they don’t have a valid prescription, the source said.
But some cops warned about the unintended consequences of the order: the creation of a force of pencil-necked geeks.
“They should be able to use supplements if it’s going to help them shed body fat and lose weight because some of these cops are so fat they can’t walk one city block without passing out,” one cop said.
Union muscles in
Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said of the edict: “I’d rather have a cop in good shape who can protect himself and protect his partner and the people we serve than someone who doesn’t have the ability to accomplish physical goals.”
DiGiacomo agreed that cops should always check the safety of whatever product they take, but ripped the policy as an invasion of privacy against officers with prescriptions.
“Personal medical information should be just that — personal,” the union head said. “Top brass forcing detectives to disclose a doctor-prescribed medication is a complete overreach, and the union will seek every legal action necessary to put a stop to it.”
Added another police source: “If these supplements are sold over the counter and anyone else can buy them, how can you ban it for police officers?”
Two of the main weightlifting substances cops have tested positive for are Broad Spectrum steroids and human growth hormone, which can only be taken legally if prescribed, the source said.
Steroids have been known to lead to aggressive behavior or “roid rage,” which is part of the reason they’re banned by the NYPD, police sources said. Steroids can also lead to serious health risks including liver injury.
The US Food and Drug Administration has found that ingredients in some bodybuilding products may illegally contain steroids or steroid-like substances, which can lead to positive drug tests.
One of the NYPD’s buffest, Detective Edward Barrett, owns a business called 50 Cal Labz that manufactures workout supplements, with names such as Ballistics Fat Burner, Shots Fired and Strapped.
“I started this company to help first responders get fit,” said Barrett.
He stressed, though: “No supplement will ever be a substitute for hard work.”