NewsdayStung by a recent controversy involving illegal steroid use among its ranks, the New York Police Department says it will now randomly test police officers for steroid use.
The new policy takes affect in July, the start of the new fiscal year, and will be part of the NYPD's long-standing zero tolerance policy for drug use.
Previously, officers were only tested for steroid use if the NYPD has reason to believe they were using such drugs. The random tests for other drugs will remain in place.
Nineteen officers in recent months have been implicated in the ongoing steroid investigation involving Lowen's Pharmacy in Bay Ridge.
Five of those officers have been suspended and a sixth one has been placed on modified duty, says Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD's top spokesman.
On Jan. 29, John Rossi, an owner of Lowen's and a potential target in the investigation, shot himself to death in an office above the pharmacy.
