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Photo courtesy of the City of Hillsboro Police Department 24 Law Enforcement Technology December 2014 www.officer.com N o one disagrees that police officers, in order to do their jobs properly, successfully and safely, have to be in peak physical condition. In fact, every police force on the plan- et has minimum physical standards that recruits have to meet and a test that they all have to pass. Don't pass the test and you don't become a police officer. That's how important physical condition is. At least at the beginning. Where the challenge comes in is after recruits pass the test and become full-fledged police officers. Many depart- ments don't have any sort of ongoing physical fitness testing of any kind. This is directly opposite of how departments handle firearms certification—in most cases, officers have to re-qualify for fire- arms periodically. "There is a rub between labor and management," acknowledges Jay Smith, president and CEO, FitForce Inc., a physical readiness solutions company. "In public safety, we have this practice that a basic physical ability is so basic you have to pass and then once you are hired you are never tested again. "Management perceives the issue as divisive, fraught with legal and techni- cal peril, and often insurmountable due to resistance, cost and a general lack of knowledge," he continues. "Labor, par- ticularly in areas with strong collective bargaining units, sees fitness the same way, through their own lens colored by a need to pro- tect themselves and their livelihood. Both sides also share the perception that the other should do something about fitness and that in any event, fitness will be there when it's really needed because after all, bad things only happen to other people." The importance of physical conditioning The benefits of fit officers are many. "As is true for everyone, fit and healthy offi- cers will feel better and perform better," says Roberto DiGiulio, full time trainer for the City of Hillsboro (Oregon) Police Department. "Fitness and well-being are correlated with better mood, better cog- nitive function, less sick days and higher subjective ratings of vitality. It's hard to think of a part of an officer's job that will of fitness Jay Smith, President and CEO of FitForce, Inc. HEALTH & FITNESS The future By Keith W. Strandberg