Six months after an NYPD steroid scandal emerged, the department has issued a dire warning to officers about bulking up with illegal substances.
Chief of Personnel Rafael Pineiro’s bulletin was distributed to bosses in all commands and instructed officers to familiarize themselves with the physical and professional dangers inherent in abusing anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormone.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the March 26 document obtained by The Post was “just a reminder that the use of steroids is illegal.”
Browne denied reports that the NYPD had expanded its probe into the use of illegal muscle-building substances within the department.
In October, six cops were suspended for purchasing anabolic steroids and HGH from a Brooklyn pharmacy. They are not facing criminal charges but were forced to turn in their guns and badges and given desk jobs pending disciplinary hearings.
The two-page memo noted there are legitimate reasons for obtaining a prescription for steroids, but cautioned that its use can lead to “aggressive, antisocial or inappropriate behavior.”
It warned that cops juicing up not only face criminal and disciplinary charges but also an increased risk of cancer, high blood pressure, infertility and kidney and heart disease.
The NYPD does not give cops random tests for anabolic steroids, but the brass is reportedly looking to change that policy.
Asked about those reports, Browne replied, “We test for cause.”