PHOENIX -- A CBS 5 investigation 18 months ago raised questions about Valley police officers and firefighters using anabolic steroids to bulk up.

As a result of the investigation, Phoenix became the first city in the country to test its public servants for steroids.

CBS 5 examined the results and found that police and firefighters were not being held to the same standards.

Police Crack Down On Steroids

The Phoenix Police Department tells new recruits that illegal steroid use is a surefire way to be fired.

"I guarantee you, it'll result in termination," one instructor said. "We are charting new territory on this."

"There's tons of guys out there, tons of guys, on the fire department, on the police department, that are using," said Albert Smith, a Phoenix police officer suspended after testing positive for steroids on the job.

"My honest opinion? I don't believe they should be illegal," Smith said. "I think it's a personal decision. I'm not hurting anybody."

Doctors prescribe steroids to treat inflammatory diseases and abusers use them to bulk up, but research shows that abusing steroids can hurt the user's body. Steroids can cause heart attacks, high cholesterol and aggressive behavior.

CBS 5's original investigation turned up more than a dozen officers and firefighters from departments across the Valley who faced allegations of domestic violence, rage and suicidal threats.

Former detective Trinka Porotta, now a drug consultant in Mesa, said departments have an obligation to protect their employees and the public.

"They have to be blind not to see it," Porotta said.

But Commander Kim Humphrey said identifying steroid abusers can be difficult.

"It's not as easy as testing them and coming back with a positive test," Humphrey said. "It seems like that's how it should work, but it doesn't."

Humphrey said some steroid tests have shown false positives, while other positive results were never passed on to the department.

"We're aware of at least one, only because we had the individual on another investigation, and then he told us," Humphrey said.

Smith fought to keep his job and won, but most officers tied to steroids have resigned rather than face termination.

Robert Welch, a Phoenix firefighter and police reserve officer, was one of them.

Cut from the police department, Welch is still on the job as a firefighter.

Firefighters Face Different Standards

"If I walked into a room and I saw a police officer and a fireman injecting steroids and they both didn't have a script for them, the police officer would get fired; the fireman would get wellness. That sends a conflicting message," the police recruit instructor said.

"You're talking about apples and oranges here. We have a different set of rules," said Assistant Fire Chief Mark Angle. "Police officers enforce the law. We do not."

Angle said the Phoenix Fire Department only tests new recruits for steroids. Veteran firefighters are tested only if they act out on the job.

"We want to make sure that when any of our folks get on a truck and they go out there and they provide service to the community, that we're not sending out damaged goods," Angle said.

Academy recruit Richard Espindola was written up for passing out during training and then going on a cursing tirade against his supervisors. He was ordered to take a steroids test, failed and was let go.

Welch and Espindola both signed a pre-employment agreement stating they would not use steroids without the guidance of a licensed physician or permission from the department.

Because Welch was a four-year veteran, he, unlike Espindola, was allowed to keep his job.

"We've got a tremendous amount of time and money invested in that individual," Angle said. "We owe it to the taxpayers to try to rehabilitate that person and get him back in line."

Federal Investigation Targets Suppliers

"We're trying to be as proactive as we can," Humphrey said.

Departments across the Valley are working with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to identify public servants who obtained steroids from local doctors busted for illegal distribution, like Dr. David Wilbirt.

The DEA said Wilbirt was writing more prescriptions for controlled substances than any other doctor in Arizona and was making huge profits off steroids.

When agents raided his Tempe home, the DEA said they seized almost $70,000 in cash, silver and gold bullion.

"An unscrupulous doctor can give a prescription for anything," Humphrey said.