Tim Frith won't
be caught dead with a doughnut, at least not in uniform. The Florida Highway
Patrol lieutenant wants to live down the police stereotype's stigma.
"I have a dislike
for doughnuts now because of the image that was created," Frith said. "I
do not frequent doughnut establishments."
A new generation
of law enforcement officers is trying to keep unhealthy lifestyles and
police pursuits poles apart.
State officials
are set to adopt new fitness regulations for police academies this week.
The goal is to give officers better leverage against crooks.
Currently, the
state has no physical training requirements for recruits. This leads to
poor habits, resulting in heart disease, back problems, stress and early
retirements, studies indicate.
"The criminals
tend to outgrow crime and the cops don't leave," said Boca Raton Sgt. Mark
Sapino. "When the cops grow to 40, they've got the same clientele. Criminals
don't age."
A Florida Department
of Law Enforcement study found that an officer's on-duty heart attack can
cost an agency as much as $750,000.
In Palm Beach
County, officers' fitness came into question in 2002 when Deputy Donald
Schavolt died of a heart attack while struggling with a teenager.
The fitness
issue for officers in general was given international attention last November,
when former Winter Haven Police Chief Paul Goward sent a memo urging "jelly
belly" officers to lose weight. He was forced to resign for hurting the
feelings of his police force.
In January,
Florida Corrections Secretary Jim McDonough said all corrections officers
in the state must get into shape by 2009 or face the consequences, which
could result in losing their jobs.
"Certainly someone
in the position of an officer should be fit," said Patrick Kelly, director
of the Criminal Justice Institute at Palm Beach Community College. "The
research will show a healthy officer is going to be able to perform on
the job and be less costly to an agency in terms of sick days and general
leave."
The state Criminal
Justice Standards and Training Commission — made up of chiefs, sheriffs
and criminal-justice officers — is set for a vote on the new curriculum
Thursday. It would come on the heels of an FDLE survey that determined
police departments want police officers to be more fit. And they want them
to stay that way.
The new proposal
consists of 60 hours of fitness training and testing during the six-month
academy program.
"By introducing
physical fitness at the academy level ... hopefully they graduate having
the will to continue to make them an officer fit on the job," said FDLE
training bureau chief Pat Melton.
Police academies
in Broward and Palm Beach counties already have a focus on physical training
and support the proposed measures, which are based on the Cooper Institute
in Dallas, a renowned fitness organization.
Police officers'
fitness is encouraged in many Florida law enforcement agencies with in-house
gyms, comp-time incentives and, in some cases, on-duty time to work out.
But fitness and health rarely are mandated.
The Altamonte
Springs Police Department is a rarity. It has a strict wellness program
that requires bi-annual health-and-fitness assessments. One police officer
was reassigned to civilian work in the department after failing the program
numerous times, said department spokesman Officer Timothy Hyer.
Everyday job
stress, abnormal hours and shifts spent riding around on patrol make it
difficult to exercise and eat right, police say.
Palm Beach County
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a healthier police force is less expensive to
operate. The fewer hospital visits, the less the Sheriff's Office pays
in health insurance premiums. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has
a 24-hour gym and physical trainers to keep its sworn officers and civilian
employees fit, Bradshaw said. Besides a healthy heart, there's the obvious
reason to stay fit.
"If they have
to grapple with a suspect, so the suspects don't overpower them," Bradshaw
said.
Boca Raton police
test their officers annually. If they fail, they are encouraged to train,
Sapino said. The department allows officers to use three on-duty hours
a week for physical training. This year, the West Palm Beach Police Department
started having all officers, including the chief, go through an annual
obstacle course to assess their fitness. It is the same course potential
recruits must complete in just over 6 minutes to be admitted to an academy.
"It's where
they started. We're not asking them to be triathletes or long-distance
runners," said West Palm Beach Police Sgt. Bill Sandman. "[But] when I'm
in a fight for my life, is a suspect going to consider my age or physical
ability? Is he going to treat me the same?"
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