Hays County asked to test law enforcement for steroid use

HAYS COUNTY, Texas – Hays County Commissioners heard from friends and relatives of Joshua Wright, a Hays County inmate who was shot and killed December 2022 at a Kyle hospital by a corrections officer. 

Along with the video, details about the officer’s drug test will eventually be released. That screening, according to Austin attorney Scott Ogle, will not include steroids.

“You know, if de-escalation means anything. Why don’t we start with testing the police officers for steroids,” said Ogle.

Ogle and other activists are close to getting steroid testing for Austin police officers. They have received steroid testing, after a critical incident, included in the proposed contract with the Austin Police Association.

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“The regulation of steroids has primarily been due to, used as probable cause. And police officers have a habit of not testing for steroids, even though they’re what we believe to be probable cause based on their physique,” said Ogle.

Ogle started pushing Hays County, last year, for a similar policy change. The shooting in Kyle, even though it’s not known if steroid use was a factor, emphasizes the need for a new testing policy, according to Ogle. 

Wednesday, Ogle said he plans to ask Hays County Commissioners to add steroids to their drug testing policy.

“It’s about accountability. That will give some understanding as to how the effects of steroids are, outweighed by what the justifications have been recently, which includes being able to keep the upper hand in aggressive encounters with suspects,” said Ogle.

There is not a statewide law requiring drug testing of law enforcement officers after a critical incident. FOX 7 was told most agencies in Texas have one. 

Adding steroids to police drug testing is getting some push back. Defense attorney Travis Williamson spoke to FOX 7 about his doubts.

“Steroid testing. Sure sounds good. It’s a sound bite, but one, don’t even know that it’s an issue. I don’t think it is. Number two, it would be identified way before that,” said Williamson.

A steroid test, Williamson said, is not necessary to determine whether lethal force is justified.

“I don’t even know that there’s a correlation between illicit steroid use and overaggressive, which I think anecdotally, I think that’s a reasonable conclusion. But, to test after the officer involved, shooting is way too late in my estimation,” said Williamson.

There is also the additional cost local governments would have to budget for by expanding drug testing. A better investment, according to Williamson, would be in increasing the number of mental health programs for police officers. 

Ogle told FOX 7, if he fails to get steroids added on the local level, he may take his fight to the state legislature.