No Tempe officers linked to steroid investigation, police say, By: William Hermann

July 24, 2007

More than a dozen Phoenix firefighters as well as police in Mesa are now connected to a Drug Enforcement Administration steroid investigation.

Mesa police Monday confirmed one of their officers is under investigation. Both Tempe and Chandler police reported that they had been in contact with the DEA regarding the investigation. Chandler Wednesday reported that they have three officers connected to the case. Tempe officials said they have none that they are aware of.

"Someone did meet with DEA, but at this point we have nobody under investigation that we're aware of," said Tempe Sgt. Mike Horn.

Tempe Fire officials said they, to their knowledge, have no connection to the case.

Phoenix police told The Arizona Republic on Saturday that more than a dozen of their officers were linked to the investigation.

A DEA spokeswoman confirmed that the agency is conducting an investigation regarding steroids. She said the primary targets are not police or firefighters, but the doctors improperly handing out prescriptions.

"Historically, DEA focuses on people who supply illegal drugs and not so much the users," Ramona Sanchez said. "We have served search warrants in this investigation regarding improperly dispensing anabolic steroids. We're working with Phoenix police and other agencies and then they can take whatever action with their people that is appropriate."

Sanchez said the investigation is in its early stages. She would not name anyone suspected of improperly dispensing anabolic steroids.

Officer Chris Arvayo, a Mesa police spokesman, said one of their officers is the subject of an internal investigation after he was listed as a patient of one of the doctors involved in the DEA steroid probe.

He said the investigation is at an early stage. Investigators are checking the officer's relationship with the doctor and whether he was prescribed steroids, Arvayo said.

No action has been taken against the officer, who remains on duty, he said.

Chandler Police Sgt. Richard Griner said his department has been in contact with the DEA.

"We are working with them to determine if any of our employees have engaged in any illegal activity," he said. "We don't know that yet at this time."

Dr. Kathleen Decker, a Bellevue, Washington, psychiatrist and an authority on steroid use, says the list of "legitimate needs" for using anabolic steroids is a short one. The list includes treatments for cancer and for hypogonadism, in which the sex glands produce little or no hormones.

"There are doctors who don't even do a blood test, do a superficial examination and say what they see approximates hypogonadism, and write a prescription for anabolic steroids," Decker said.

Decker consults with public agencies trying to formulate policies regarding steroid use by employees. She said it's a good thing that police officials, in particular, are not turning a blind eye to steroid abuse.

"Roid Rage" - uncontrollable fury caused by steroid use - is real, Decker said.

"There is a high incidence of aggression, rage and impulsive behavior among those who use anabolic steroids," Decker said. "There is no doubt that high doses of steroids produce aggression in both animals and humans."

Decker also noted that not only is using steroids dangerous to the user and to others, "but stopping using them is dangerous too. People stopping use of steroids can cause severe depression, with suicide the result."

"They feel fine while they're doing steroids, then stop and go into a tailspin," Decker said.