That's why so many demented sadists and outright morons are able to become officers.

handily passed all the courses in the officer training program, and has a father and brother who were officers can't get a job as a police officer. His father and brother were bulked up and easily got in.

Sounds like he was too smart to get in.

US Court Says it’s Okay for Police Departments to Refuse to Hire Someone who is Too Smart

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/court-police-departments-refuse-hire-smart/

and he applied with many departments, so not sure how any of them having female officers or not enters into the equation. He's aware of the IQ issue, but everyone around him seems to feel it's because he's skinny. He's young and wirey and doesn't think he should have to bulk up and takes offense when others have suggested he try steroids and/or be a gym slave.

That won't make them resent the plebeians more than they already do, or anything.
What could go wrong?

Manadatory nuthin...A fuckin' teacher is required to keep his/her skills up to date. And a teacher doesn't have a license to shoot me (only a license to call someone to shoot me).

The teacher only calls the cop to come give you a triple HHH suplex bodyslam.

as well.

that my moods and emotional existence are much more volatile and less stable when I'm more overweight. I tend to be easily irritated and quick-tempered.

In fact this is the main reason that I finally figured out how to control my weight permanently, because I felt I really needed the mental stability that seems to go with being more healthy. Interestingly, for me it is closely connected to exercise. So, when I'm not fat, I also feel much more physically competent and have a lot more energy, as well as being more emotionally stable.

Given all this, I think you are asking a very good question.

fat lineman can hit harder, but move slower. How do coaches/managers encourage their players to keep optimum weight ? It's not all self-enforced; there are penalties, suspensions, cuts. Not 100% comparable by any means but a place to start.

Of course I don't recommend trading cops to other "teams".

An organization that manages to keep hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers in fit condition.

That's what I was going to post. This is common sense especially when taken in context with the militarization of our police forces. Yesterday, I watched a very over weight Leon Valley, TX police officer "chase" a group of middle schoolers. It was the slowest chase scene I've ever seen. I was laughing my ass off as the teens would run just far enough away not to be caught while the LEO would walk, "run" a couple feet, resume walking.

And in the Army, they really try to work with you if you meet the weight requirement, but if you fail, you get thrown out.

Our county sheriff (elected) had his stomach stapled a few years ago.
Dropped about 100 lbs and looks much better.

I ran into him at a local city function after he'd done it.
"Hoss (his name, really), you look good. How'd you drop the weight?"
"Had my stomach stapled."
"Wow, that's kinda extreme. Health reasons?"
"Sorta, but I was also tired of looking like a southern sheriff cliche'. Plus, I have to run for reelection every 4 years."
At least the guy's honest, at least about that.

But the problem is not their weight. The dude was trying to get to an ER and they weren't smart enough to let him go there. It's not like he would be treated right away. Heck they would have him cornered so to speak as he gets treatment and they just go and find out what room he is being treated in if he isn't still waiting in the waiting room.

Still it's a fair question on how much fitness we should expect from someone who might need to run down a suspect.

Better community relations and they drop weight. A 2fer.

Gotten a lot of attention were in pretty good shape.

it is being fat that makes them evil, right?

Nope. What a load of hatred disguised as "concern".

Yeah...I said it was being fat that makes them evil. Exactly.

Good grief.

Cause you know, fat people are lazy and physically cannot do anything. I could almost read the disdain in your post as you sneered that you should use the word "large" to be politically correct and typed FAT.

No one missed the point. It is obvious you think you are better than overweight people and you look down on them. In your world, fat people are inferior. I was a college lineman. We were all overweight. Why don't you go tell them all how they are fat and physically inferior to you.

You have a wonderful way with words that weren't said.

Did you have a sneer on your face when you did it?

I didn't have a sneer on my face when posted. But in response to you, this was my general expression...

It's not too difficult to read the obvious; nor is it difficult to cower behind implication and deftly deny our implications, regardless of the irrelevancy of alleged outrage.

Awesome use of syllables and alliteration. I might even agree with you. But I really don't know what the heck you just posted.

The post accused someone of "cowering" from implications and also "denying" implications. That was a muddled post. At best.

Ever noticed that you don't really see fat female cops? Or seen the statistical breakdowns on abuse complaints or payouts (either statistic works) for male vs. female cops?

It's the steroids. Women don't go in for that East German Swimming Team Look, so it's almost entirely a male cop problem.

It's past time we started serious and frequent piss tests at every cop shop in America.

Also, there are many manufacturing firms that employ fitness for duty testing on a yearly basis that measures people's ability to work on their feet, handle the lifting and carrying needed for the job, etc.

This happens in union shops, so it's not a matter of getting organized labor to buy in. Why can't this be applied to police.

Part of the job is the ability to chase a fleeing suspect. If you don't have the stamina to chase, whether it's because one is out of shape of just carrying too much weight, that should be a job requirement.

Then, you add your steroid testing requirement and we might see something positive.

Yesterday. Leon Valley, TX. She was "chasing" a group of teens at about 2 miles an hour with brief bursts of up to 3 miles an hour.

I know a lot of "large" people.

None of them are cops, but there is no reason to think cops are immune from the epidemic of obesity in this country.

Out run you within 100 yards and out squat you. I wont win a marathon though. Being fat does not mean physically incapable.

But there's no way you'd catch me in 1, 10 or 100 yards. Are you a LEO? I ask because I'm not bagging on the over weight rather I'm commenting on the need for physical fitness standards for our LEO and FD for that matter as opposed to civilians who can be what ever size that makes them happy, in my opinion. Incapable is not the same as inadequate, either.

Basically a 300 lb man who can move like a 225 lb man. At the NFL level, the 300 lbs men move like 175 lb men. No offense, but I still rep out 405 lbs on the bench press. Being overweight does NOT equal unable to perform physically. In fact, the ultra skinny guys with no muscle mass are probably even scarier in firefighting and Law Enforcement positions. I would rather have a cop that can carry 200 lbs 100 yards than one who can run a marathon but cannot.

Wonderful. A skilled, trained linebacker can move quickly...for a ten-second play. Yay, you.

You know exactly what I'm talking about, and it is NOT collegiate linemen. It's these cops that see little action in the field, they just put on a uniform and cruise around in their car all day. Mostly sedentary. You've seen the videos, don't try to change the focus. There is simply no arguing that an older, 250# cop has any chance of taking in a youthful, fit offender in flight without resorting to lethal force. It's not gonna happen, no matter how awesome you were while playing college football.

Instead of demanding physical standards, we just give every cop a deadly weapon or two. Then we're surprised when they choose to just shoot instead of having to chase down a suspect.

Be realistic.

Yay, you are a 145 lb vegan marathoner who runs 50 miles per week and has a resting heart beat of 46. You could run down ANYONE, of course, when you get there, you lack any kind of power and are so fundamentally weak, you need backup and a taser because you cannot even bench press the bar. Hell, a big 7th grader can likely kick your ass up to your shoulder blades.

It works both ways. The bottom line is there is a lot to attack the modern police force over. Their weight is really not one of them. Physical extremes in either direction can easily render someone unable to perform the duties of the job. However, I take offense at the whole tacitly implied - fat people cannot do ANYTHING cause their FAT! It's bullshit.

George Foreman was fat and kicked ass. So did Larry Holmes. So did Vladi Aleev. So does Brian Beluga.

Its BULLSHIT

Specifically, you make the claim that my argument is, using your words, "...fat people cannot do ANYTHING cause their (sic) FAT!"

Of course, that is not at all what my OP stated. I believe my point was pretty straight forward; police work is likely to put the officer in very stressful, strenuous situations. Hopefully not often. Many of the places where we see these incidences happening are smaller towns. Not all, of course, but many. The officers don't often encounter situations where they have to chase down a suspect. More often than not, they spend their days cruising around in a cop car, maybe rousting a drunk or writing a traffic ticket or checking on a noise complaint. As with any individual, no matter what the profession, if you're not physically active (I'll lump myself in there, working in a largely sedentary profession which requires me to spend most of my time sitting at a desk), you're likely to fall out of shape.

I have the benefit of living in a place where I can take a break to go kayaking, and I play beach volleyball and I snowboard. I keep my ass active! But I'm self-employed. I'm not required to sit in a cop car all day, drinking coffee and partaking in the stereotypical donuts. I can take time out of my so-called schedule to try and stay fit. That is really all I'm saying...why do we even see pictures of 300# cops? If I balloon to 300#, so what. I don't wield a gun or a taser. I'm never expected to chase down a suspect.

You want to give a guy a good salary, a union job, give him a gun and a taser...yet he shouldn't have to attend xx hours at the gym every week as a condition of employment?

My point was very clear. If you are a 250-300# cop, which many, many of the cops are -- just watch the videos -- what are your choices? A foot chase which you'll clearly lose? A mano e mano struggle which will likely result in you having a heart attack before you even know if your suspect has committed a crime? Oh wait! You've got a lethal weapon (gun, obviously) and a potentially lethal weapon (taser) right there in your Bat Utility Belt. Why chase or risk cardiac arrest if you can just shoot first? And second and third and seventh and eighteenth?

Cops have been given the power, but no responsibility. They don't have to stay in shape, they don't have to go to the gym, they're just expected to be super heroes and keep us all safe.

I'm in good shape, even for a 56 year old. But I'm not for one minute going to claim I'd win out in a foot chase with a 30 year old. Especially when I'm wearing a bullshit costume and fancy polished shoes. So what do I do? Reach for the taser or fire a few shots, get the adrenalin pumping, then just fill out some paperwork. The Blue will clear me. We get my uniform dirty or risk a heart attack if I can just fire a few rounds?

It's not rocket science. Police work is strenuous, emotionally and physically. We shouldn't be seeking out the lowest common denominator. I don't think it is too much to ask that we ask for physical competence before we let you lose on the streets with a license to kill.

Maybe I'm just crazy that way.

That was ridiculous. You mean to tell me 3 cops couldn't tackle and stop a man they were transporting to the hospital, who was handcuffed? Not one of them used their brain and thought they could hold him down until someone with a gurney could get to them?

I cut sugar out of my diet, lost weight without trying, and I can't get fat no matter how much I eat.

If cops aren't in good physical condition then they won't be able to use safer means of subduing suspects, which typically involve using their own strength. I think cops should be required to be physically fit. Martial arts training would definitely be beneficial.

12 female officers in Colorado just won a lawsuit striking down mandatory physical fitness tests at their department.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/11/10/female-springs-officers-win-lawsuit-no-longer-have-to-take-physical-fitness-tests/


I know most of the state law enforcement jobs here have mandatory PT requirements. Many get around discrimination claims by having different standards for men and women.

One of my jobs has an annual test that must be passed, run 1.5 miles in under 13:00, 25 push-ups and 35 sit-ups in a minute each and some flexibility tests as well as a maximum allowable weight.

The biggest cops I see are usually built like linebackers.

Maybe that is part of the design of the costume. Stiff, starched, you look big and mean and tough. A big fancy hat. Epaulets. Huge utility belts. You kind of forget that that dude (or dude-ette) is packing another 250-300# under that crispy blue uniform. Maybe that is one of the reasons so many street criminals choose to run. "How the hell is this fat bastard ever gonna run me down?" Fact is, he never will. But he's got a gun and a taser. He doesn't have to stay in shape, he doesn't have to do any physical conditioning. Just point and shoot. Problem solved. Lets go get another donut.