Should Police Officers Face Weight Regulations?

lIf you watch the popular show Cops or have taken a look around at the police officers in your neighborhood you have probably seen more than a few overweight officers of the law. Although the majority aren't the doughnut eating, coffee drinking, lazy people they are frequently made out to be on television, many are overweight or even obese nonetheless. Police officers must complete and pass some kind of physical training or physical standard in order to become a cop. Should they then be subjected to meet physical or weight standards or regulations continually in order to maintain their badge wearing rights?

It is obvious that police officers need to be physically fit in order to carry out their duties to the best of their ability, or they wouldn't face such standards before being hired. An overweight cop not only endangers society, suspects, and themselves, but also poses liability risks. Not the mention the consequences their employers face such as higher health care costs, more paid time off, and a bad image.

When a police officer is not in good physical health it can mean the difference between catching a fugitive and the fugitive getting a clean getaway. Suspects may also be more likely to try and flee or resist arrest if they feel that the officer is not going to be able to pursue or defend themselves successfully. This may lead the officer to use a more violent force than would have been necessary had the officer been able to diffuse the situation. The officer may even be forced to use a weapon if he/she is not able to defend himself/herself or apprehend a suspect through physical means.

Overweight police officers cost all of us more money. They are more likely to sustain work related injuries and non work related injuries. Just as any overweight person is more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke, add being overweight to the stress and unhealthy eating that is frequently part of the job and you may end up with a ticking time bomb. This results in more time off and a less productive work force.

Society can face a significant risk if faced with an overweight police officer for help. If a police officer can not defend himself, how can he defend someone else? His chances of apprehending a fugitive if a foot chase ensues are not in his favor. Being able to act quickly is not something most overweight people are capable of. A police officer must be able to go from a sedentary position to life saving action if needed.

Although police officers are accountable for their own actions, such as not eating healthy and not maintaining physical fitness, much of the time they are working long hours and are not playing a physically active role. Fast food can become a staple diet while on the job and doing mundane tasks, like filling out paperwork or traffic enforcement, are unavoidable.

Some districts have started to employ wellness programs, hoping this will be a solution to the problem. Wellness programs encourage participants to eat healthy, exercise, and give them the knowledge they need in order to continue to make healthy decisions in the future. They can often times include rewards for achievement such as patches or pins that can be placed on their uniform. Wellness programs can significantly improve the health of police officers for the short as well as long term.

Not everyone has had the same success with introducing wellness programs though. While most agree that wellness programs should be implemented and created by professionals, Police Chief Paul Goward was forced to resign shortly after introducing a memo titled "Are you a Jelly Belly?" He encouraged his officers to "stop making excuses" and that "we didn't hire you unfit and we don't want you working unfit."

He stands by his approach and says that if people were upset enough to actually do something about the weight problem, than he was successful. The end of the memo stated, "Don't mean to offend, this is just straight talk. I owe it to you." Certainly his memo did have an impact on some; the department lost almost 200 pounds. Others did not take so kindly to his harsh, but truthful words and submitted letters of complaint.

Although he may not have stated his distaste for overweight police officers in the right way, his message is the same. We as a society turn to cops to protect and serve and we expect that they will be able to do so. Those who serve in the military must face ongoing fitness and weight assessments to make sure they are properly able to do their jobs, so why shouldn't police officers? They are both risking their lives to protect the citizens of America, and for this we are grateful. However, until police officers "shape up" we may all be forced to suffer the consequences.