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Most young people considering a police career aren't going to give physical
fitness a lot of thought in the beginning...and for good reason. When
you're twenty something, you've still got that feeling of indestructibility,
and the physical strength and energy that comes with youth can put the
issue of physical fitness pretty far down on your list of major concerns.
That's not to say that some of you don't put physical fitness at the top of
your list. Some of you will be, or are already, very keen on diet, exercise,
and any variety of fitness activities that will enhance and maintain a high
level of your physical fitness for years to come.
Many police departments haven't done much to stress the importance of
physical fitness through their ever decreasing hiring requirements when it
comes to age and weight. It's not the fault of police departments since age
and weight have been placed firmly in the category of discrimination.
However, in police departments with low attrition rates, and waiting lists
miles long, you won't see that many older and over weight rookies.
The PC crowd likes to ignore the real probabilities that you will face life
and death physical confrontations and struggles as a police officer.
They're so deep into their conflict resolution dogma they're convinced that
a police officer should be able to talk anybody into or out of anything.
Well...that simply isn't the way it works. If you buy into that nonsense,
you'll be experiencing a lot of stress sooner than later.
If you're young, and your weight is proportionate to your height, you'll
probably possess the single most important physical capability for a police
officer...endurance. While your upper body physical strength is important,
you should realize that there will always be someone stronger than you
who is perfectly capable of kicking your butt. You'll run into those
someones frequently. On those occasions when your best efforts at
conflict resolution fail, your endurance will carry you through until help
arrives.
The great thing about endurance is that it doesn't take that much exercise
to develop and maintain. I spent the first seven years of my career
walking foot posts. Since I worked a high crime area, the walking
frequently turned into running down suspects. Talk about a physical
fitness program. My assignment had me walking and running forty hours
a week every week.
You're going to encounter plenty of sources of stress during your police
career, but your worst, in the form of physical consequences, will be
periods of stress which will come during physical confrontations and
struggles. While stress associated with the use, or potential use, of deadly
force is obvious, the frequency of those situations will pale to the number
of times you'll be confronted with, or engaged in, lesser physical struggles.
The lesser struggles only remain lesser as long as you avoid sustaining any
serious physical injury. You'll encounter three types of people in physical
confrontations. First are the ones who simply want to get away from you.
If this suspect does attack you aggressively, the attack will not be
prolonged since he just wants to incapacitate you long enough to make
good his escape. In most instances, however, this suspect will just go
round and round with you; until, the physical endurance of one of you
determines the outcome.
While the stress associated with losing to the first suspect is
embarrassment more than anything else, the second and third groups pose
serious consequences. The second group will be comprised of suspects who
would like nothing better than to hurt you or worse. The third group is
the "mental cases" who are unpredictable and dangerous for obvious
reasons.
When you find yourself in a struggle with a suspect from the second or
third category, your physical endurance is more important than you can
imagine. It's a really bad feeling when you become so exhausted that you
no longer have the strength to lift your arm much less throw a punch.
I've been there a few times, but, in those instances, I was fortunate that
the other guy got to the same point of exhaustion at the same time or just
ahead of me.
Your state of physical fitness will always be a huge factor in determining
how successfully you deal with any kind of stress. More than likely, you'll
begin your police career behind the wheel of a police car. The worst thing
about a police car is that it makes a lot of police officers really lazy. You'll
notice very quickly how cops develop a penchant for double parking just to
save a few steps. You'll see some meet a victim and conduct the entire
interview without giving those front seat springs a chance to expand.
Right from the beginning, you should get into the habit of getting out of
your car as much as possible. Walking is good for you. I took every
opportunity to get out of my car and walk, and it worked well for me.
Don't forget, as your police career progresses, you'll be getting older.
With age comes a natural decline in your level of endurance, and you need
-- no, you must -- develop some regimen of physical fitness to enhance and
preserve your level of physical endurance.
Look at it this way. You're entering a job where there will be periods of
idleness and boredom interrupted by sudden and unexpected periods of
extreme physical exertion. If you spend all the boring time just sitting,
those active times are just going to become more stressful as time goes by.
A lot, or even most, young people beginning a police career don't see
themselves being patrol officers for twenty years or more. The truth is
there's not enough promotions or cushy jobs available to accommodate
everyone, so you need to understand that you may have to stay in the real
work force for your entire career.
Mind and body. As long as you develop the right mental attitudes toward
all the cruel and goofy things you're going to experience, and you give
equal importance to your continued physical fitness, you'll do just fine.
fitness a lot of thought in the beginning...and for good reason. When
you're twenty something, you've still got that feeling of indestructibility,
and the physical strength and energy that comes with youth can put the
issue of physical fitness pretty far down on your list of major concerns.
That's not to say that some of you don't put physical fitness at the top of
your list. Some of you will be, or are already, very keen on diet, exercise,
and any variety of fitness activities that will enhance and maintain a high
level of your physical fitness for years to come.
Many police departments haven't done much to stress the importance of
physical fitness through their ever decreasing hiring requirements when it
comes to age and weight. It's not the fault of police departments since age
and weight have been placed firmly in the category of discrimination.
However, in police departments with low attrition rates, and waiting lists
miles long, you won't see that many older and over weight rookies.
The PC crowd likes to ignore the real probabilities that you will face life
and death physical confrontations and struggles as a police officer.
They're so deep into their conflict resolution dogma they're convinced that
a police officer should be able to talk anybody into or out of anything.
Well...that simply isn't the way it works. If you buy into that nonsense,
you'll be experiencing a lot of stress sooner than later.
If you're young, and your weight is proportionate to your height, you'll
probably possess the single most important physical capability for a police
officer...endurance. While your upper body physical strength is important,
you should realize that there will always be someone stronger than you
who is perfectly capable of kicking your butt. You'll run into those
someones frequently. On those occasions when your best efforts at
conflict resolution fail, your endurance will carry you through until help
arrives.
The great thing about endurance is that it doesn't take that much exercise
to develop and maintain. I spent the first seven years of my career
walking foot posts. Since I worked a high crime area, the walking
frequently turned into running down suspects. Talk about a physical
fitness program. My assignment had me walking and running forty hours
a week every week.
You're going to encounter plenty of sources of stress during your police
career, but your worst, in the form of physical consequences, will be
periods of stress which will come during physical confrontations and
struggles. While stress associated with the use, or potential use, of deadly
force is obvious, the frequency of those situations will pale to the number
of times you'll be confronted with, or engaged in, lesser physical struggles.
The lesser struggles only remain lesser as long as you avoid sustaining any
serious physical injury. You'll encounter three types of people in physical
confrontations. First are the ones who simply want to get away from you.
If this suspect does attack you aggressively, the attack will not be
prolonged since he just wants to incapacitate you long enough to make
good his escape. In most instances, however, this suspect will just go
round and round with you; until, the physical endurance of one of you
determines the outcome.
While the stress associated with losing to the first suspect is
embarrassment more than anything else, the second and third groups pose
serious consequences. The second group will be comprised of suspects who
would like nothing better than to hurt you or worse. The third group is
the "mental cases" who are unpredictable and dangerous for obvious
reasons.
When you find yourself in a struggle with a suspect from the second or
third category, your physical endurance is more important than you can
imagine. It's a really bad feeling when you become so exhausted that you
no longer have the strength to lift your arm much less throw a punch.
I've been there a few times, but, in those instances, I was fortunate that
the other guy got to the same point of exhaustion at the same time or just
ahead of me.
Your state of physical fitness will always be a huge factor in determining
how successfully you deal with any kind of stress. More than likely, you'll
begin your police career behind the wheel of a police car. The worst thing
about a police car is that it makes a lot of police officers really lazy. You'll
notice very quickly how cops develop a penchant for double parking just to
save a few steps. You'll see some meet a victim and conduct the entire
interview without giving those front seat springs a chance to expand.
Right from the beginning, you should get into the habit of getting out of
your car as much as possible. Walking is good for you. I took every
opportunity to get out of my car and walk, and it worked well for me.
Don't forget, as your police career progresses, you'll be getting older.
With age comes a natural decline in your level of endurance, and you need
-- no, you must -- develop some regimen of physical fitness to enhance and
preserve your level of physical endurance.
Look at it this way. You're entering a job where there will be periods of
idleness and boredom interrupted by sudden and unexpected periods of
extreme physical exertion. If you spend all the boring time just sitting,
those active times are just going to become more stressful as time goes by.
A lot, or even most, young people beginning a police career don't see
themselves being patrol officers for twenty years or more. The truth is
there's not enough promotions or cushy jobs available to accommodate
everyone, so you need to understand that you may have to stay in the real
work force for your entire career.
Mind and body. As long as you develop the right mental attitudes toward
all the cruel and goofy things you're going to experience, and you give
equal importance to your continued physical fitness, you'll do just fine.
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