July 3, 2009 Boston police officers suspended for steroid use Play video

(NECN: John Moroney, Boston, Mass.) - The Boston Police Department is suspending seven officers who have admitted to using steroids - the result of a three year investigation into police misconduct.

Commissioner Ed Davis: "In large part, these were individual offices obtaining the substance from individual people either on the internet or at a gym so they so they did not necessarily know each other."

In 2006, three Boston police officers were convicted of plotting to guard truck loads of cocaine. During the undercover FBI investigation, another group of officers was linked to steroids. It prompted a grand jury probe into steroid use, and the department would now like to require testing for steroids as part of the annual drug test for all officers.

Commissioner Ed Davis: "It's clearly illegal. It's something that detrimental to their physical well-being. And it's also something that increases the potential for violence in people who are taking it. So for all those reasons we have to state very in our message to the officers that this is not acceptable and can't be used in a police agency."

In addition to the steroid suspensions, four officers have been disciplined for going to off-hours party location while on duty.

Commissioner Ed Davis: "By in large, the officers were disciplined based upon what we know they did while they were there in that particular location. The mere fact that they at a place that serving liquor without a license is

a problem. And the suspensions are based upon on that. There wasn't a significant amount of criminal activity that could be proved."