Police officers have a stigma and stereotype of sitting in
their police cars and eating donuts or unhealthy foods. The truth of this being
that many Americans are obese and that when a small reflection of the
population shows obesity it reflects poorly on the whole of society. The
problem is not that someone is obese or overweight, but how does that affect
their job as professional police officers. What type of implications does it
bring on the public and the police officers when a police officer appears
completely incompetent of accomplishing physical exercises? According to the regulations
of Illinois Police academy to become an officer you need to perform a sit and
reach test, benchpress, situps, and a 1.5 mile run to a certain standard
depending on your age. The actual
standards can be found here http://www.isp.state.il.us/employ/fitness.cfm.
Is this an accurate way to gauge physical readiness as a police officer? I have
personally struggled with my weight all my life and this scale seems very
similar to the way the Army determines physical fitness, which I do not believe
determines fitness at all. I definitely understand that with age come
exceptions.
This
brings me to my next point. If someone becomes a police officer what is the
punishment for failing tests? Is it fair to fire someone only a few years from
retirement because of some extra weight? What about stress and sickness that
cause weight gain? On the other hand they must serve and protect the public and
public view for police is constantly in question. The solution may be simpler
than I thought. The London police have decided due to the high amount of obese
police action needs to be taken. They decided to attack the one thing that is
on most people’s minds. Payroll. The London police decided to take away pay of
the officers if they failed 3 physical tests. The hope is not to fire the police
for their weight but give them a serious reprimand and deter others from
becoming obese. In the London police they
only need to officially pass their physical fitness test once. And some never
retested in as long as 35 years. When the Metropolitan police reported that 52%
of their male officers were overweight red flags were set off. America is sadly
not much better and as a leader in national obesity our police force is
unfortunately stereotyped because its often true.
A great degree of care and tact needs to be used when
dealing with these issues. Many people believe that those overweight and obese
are discriminated against. This of course is meaningless if they can’t perform
their job. However, if this person is physically more fit than others but
carries more weight what is the actual issue?
I would say that if the police officer carries more weight, but is it still physically fit and capable to do the job then they should not be discriminated against. However, an obese person that cannot properly do their job should really not be a police officer. There are physically demanding tasks that go along with being a police officer, and if you can not handle those tasks then it is not the profession for you. However, I see very overweight police officers all the time so in my experience police officers do not lose their jobs just due to being over weight. I think police officers need to be physically fit to do their jobs, but that does not mean they can't have some fat on them.
ReplyDeleteI think this is very interesting. It really annoys me when people stereotype police officers as being fat and lazy, sitting in their cars eating donuts. The police force is just a small population of our society and in actuality like you said in your blog, the US is one of the leading places of obesity. These statements aren’t just describing police officers; they are describing our society as a whole. However, of course some officers are overweight I don’t think they should be fired for it. I agree with what London is proposing where they are docked pay for several failed fitness attempts. I don’t think everyone needs to meet the stereotypical fit image but I think they should be fit enough to be healthy and to be able to perform their job duties efficiently.
ReplyDeleteFat or not fat is not the argument here. The real argument is whether or not a person can physically do the job which is required of them. Jobs differ, for example I am currently a nurse,and I too had to do a job physical. This only consisted of minor range of motion activities. Being a police officer should involve more. I have seen obese people finish the 1.5 mile run at police tests, and skinny people drop out. I think that if someone wants to be a police officer, it should be part of their job to stay in some sort of good shape. If I'm wrestling a suspect hi on crack cocaine, I don't want some slow overweight officer walking down to assist me because the department didn't want to physically test him a few years before retirement. When it's someone's life in danger, testing should be part of the job. On the other hand I am glad to see some departments taking action, and offering their employees the option to workout and get paid for their last hour of work that day.
ReplyDeleteBeing over weight and not being able to perform certain job duties that are required of police officers is a major problem. When an officer is out of shape or overweight, I think this poses greater on the job injuries not only by just the high demands of the job but also by potential suspects who will try more and step over the line when dealing with an overweight cop versus one who is in shape and can man handle, run, and capture the suspect more easily. When these officers are not in good shape therefore probably not in the best health then they are a ticking time bomb for on the job injuries that cause the department a lot of money and headache. All officers should be held accountable and treated equally and fairly when it comes to the strict guidelines for the physical part of being a cop. It is in the best interest of the cop to be and stay fit to help them perform their job to the best of their ability.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the other people on this one. It's not a question of weight or obesity, but whether or not the officer is able to perform the tasks required of them. I think that if they are able to stay in good physical shape and are able to protect themselves, other officers, and citizens, then the individual officer's weight should not make a big difference. Last year in one of my classes, we had a guest speaker from the Illinois State Police come in. He mentioned that the ISP is the only agency in the state of Illinois that requires annual physical testing of it's personnel. I remember being extremely surprised by this. In my opinion, if an officer isn't able to pass the physical any day of the year, then they are not cut out to be in such a position.
ReplyDeleteGood Points
DeleteThe whole stereotype of a police officer sitting in a donut shop eating donuts stems from the fact that many years ago, donut shops were the only 24 hour stores around where someone could use the restroom and get something to eat or drink. This made it very convenient for a police officer to stop and get a coffee and use the restroom during his shift. That being said, if an officer can still perform his duties safely, effectively and efficiently, then I see no problem with their fitness level. Undoubtedly, there will come a time when an officer must get involved in a foot pursuit or a physical altercation. The officer must be able to do both of these tasks better than the suspect. So, in my opinion, a police officer needs to be physically fit or face sanctions. I have no problems with pay halts, assignments to desk duty or janitorial services. The officer knew becoming a police officer would be a physically demanding job and if he wants it to be a lifelong job, he must continue his fitness levels from what they were at the beginning of his career. Good article.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most people on their views of officers who carry extra weight. I think that as long as an officer can perform the tasks of the job then the weight or appearance of the officer should not matter. I agree that with age certain physical tasks become harder and that should be taken into account when determining a physical fitness standard. I don't agree that officers should be fired or even receive a pay cut due to lack of physical fitness. I think a better idea to help combat obesity in police officers is to offer a pay incentive for officers who can pass the physical fitness test annually. That might be the extra push needed for the officers who aren't in the best of shape.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite sport is football and tons of guys on there are huge and are very physically fit.Its shouldnt be a physical test, but yet more of an endurance testing to see how much your body cant take and how much power the officer themselves still have after several years on the force. Weight should never be a reason to fire someone, because that weight doesnt matter its how they handle the weight in tough situations.
ReplyDeleteI think that if a police officer can carry extra weight and still get the job done in terms of being able to keep up with criminals when he or she needs to, than that officer deserves to keep his or her job. However, if an officer continues to put on weight and it directly affects the quality of his performance, than something needs to be done. I also believe that if a police officer has been with the force his whole career and is a few years from retirement and finds that his age or weight is inhibiting him to do his job on the streets, than why not bring him in and put him behind a desk or give him a supervising role? I mean if hes been on the job that long, the odds are his mind and experience can still be put to good use.
ReplyDeleteVery cool post, I enjoyed reading it. I agree with most of the people above that it doesnlt matter how you construct your diet as long as you are physically able to do your job. And as we have learned in other classes the majority of policing is hardly physcial. I think this myth is furthered by the media as we see most cops in tv shows and movies as fat overwieght lazy donut eaters sitting in cars running the air conditioning. Bottom line is if you want to eat donuts go for it because they are very tasty, as long as ur fit enought to do your jobs int nobody business what you eat. Aren't we the fattest country in the world anyways? So whose really bashing who here?
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic. I have never been physically capable of fulfilling the role that police officers do, I accept that. I think that people who are too overweight may need to accept that as well. I think in the broader sense an out of shape officer can be a dangerous officer. As a first responder, a police officer may be required to perform physical tasks in a literal life-or-death situation. As a result, I don't think physical standards should be take lightly. However, there is certainly something to be said for sensitivity. Weight is an emotional hot button for some. I used to weight 220 pounds and have lost 60 since then, so I get the idea that we should be sensitive. Still I think the risks outweigh those concerns.
ReplyDeleteI also thought this was a great topic to discuss. I found that Ethan's opinions/comment is basically how I feel on the issue. Not everyone is cut out to be a police officer. If you can not stay physically fit to the degree of performing your job without any risk, then the police force is not meant for you. However, I do not believe if someone who has already been on the force for a number of years should be fired if they were to fail the physical test. I believe the system that London has is a perfect way to encourage the officers to become in better shape. Although, if a certain officer consistenly fails the physical test then I do believe they should be in consideration of being fired. Overall, I feel that it is very important to have a physically fit/healthy police force, and the importance of having a test to be able to see if an idividual is capable of performing their job without having any risks of failure.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting article to say the least. I don't know necessarily that obese police officers are discriminated against anymore than police officers in general if we are talking about the public. Were you about to find anything about police officers getting fired due to being overweight? I googled it and there are several examples available that would have been great to add to your article. I definitely think that an officer that cannot perform the duty they have sworn to perform which is protecting the public, then they should not be a police officer. There are many reasons for weight gain, and honestly MOST of them come from the stress of the job. Weight gain, comfort food, eating to forget, these are are common with police officers due to their high stress jobs. I do understand that their job is high stress, I want to be a police officer myself, but if my physical abilities are limited to the point that I can't perform my duties, I would definitely feel an obligation to fix that problem.
ReplyDeleteI may be naive but I feel that situations that require a police officer to be fit, such as a foot chase, only constitute a small percentage of police work. Despite this, I think that is is essential that officers are capable of overcoming any obstacle/situation both physically and mentally for their own safety and that of the community. Just because an officer is overweight, I do not think he/she should be immediately fired or punished. Time should be given to each officer to get back into shape.
ReplyDeleteThe stereotype that police eat donuts all the time and cant properly do their job. Maybe some officer are or became out of shape and cant do their job to their full capability, however most are. The issue is that officer should not be judged based on the way they look like, but based on their ability on the job.
ReplyDeleteI think that police officers should have to go through the same tests they must pass to become a police officer in the first place at least once or twice a year. Obviously there is a physical standard you must be at in order to properly serve and protect. For example, if a cop is in a foot chase to get to a dangerous criminal, if that cop is overweight and cannot run as fast or long as he could when he passed the test to become an officer, that person may go free. I think it is not discrimination because it is necessary in many situations for officers to be in a certain condition of physical fitness.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the issue isn’t fat or not fat. The issue is whether or not they can pass the physical test for a police officer. I know a lot of people that aren’t the skinniest people in the world, but are physically fit. I feel that officers should indeed have to pass a physical test in order to become a police officer. I would want a police officer that is able to run and pursue a fleeing suspect in my town. I think that the idea of taking away their payroll is stupid. I feel that if officers are unable to pass the tests needed to become a police officer then obviously that shouldn’t be their profession.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that a lot of police office do not eat as well as they should but this might just be because they work odd hours, sometime they are not able to eat at all during their work day and if so maybe just a snack (Donuts). Yes, the police are in the main sight of the publice all of the time and are expected to look and perform at their best. In a lot of people's eyes and over weight police officer is looked bad open because these are the individuals that are suppose to protect the public from criminal activity. If the police officer is not able to catch a running man after he just robbed a bank want does that say about the officer. I have never had a problem with my weight so I cannot place myself their shoes. But I do know this, if one should work out during the week then that individual is more likely able to pass a physical fitness test then if someone who does not care and just gives up because they are not seeing results.
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