Why Police Brutality? One reason: Steroid Abuse

Most cops are psychopaths to begin with. Add steroids into the equation, and you have a ticking time bomb, looking for somebody to go off on.

Why Police Brutality? One reason: Steroid Abuse

There are lots of reasons many police officers have traditionally been accused of brutalizing people. Racism plays a role in far too many cases as the Rodney King incident made clear.

Police are exposes to high levels of fear that comes with constant exposure to dangerous and unsavory characters. How many people you know who spend all day dealing with drug dealers, gang members, thieves, junkies, con artists, prostitutes, wife beaters, etc? I worked with emotionally disturbed adolescents, many of whom where violent on occasion. I saw many of my fellow workers who "burned out" after a while. It's not surprising to me the many police may become numb and traumatized as a result of their work. I imagine the incidences of PTSD and depression, anxiety disorders, etc. is quite high among law enforcement officials, particularly those who work in major cities.

Then there is the fact that many police officers are drawn to the job because of the appeal that having power and authority over others provides them. In short, bullies and individuals with anger management issues. Indeed, there are many documented cases of "violent" cops getting fired by one jurisdiction managing to find another job in law enforcement somewhere else.

However, one of the biggest problems with the recent spate of police brutality and "excessive force cases is the all too infrequently discussed case of drug abuse by police officers. Drug abuse? Yes, and the drugs that police are abusing are anabolic steroids according to the DEA:

[link to www.dailykos.com]