Recently on my Radio Show, the question has come up as to if all police
departments have fitness requirements for their officers. I'm sure the
State Police must, but what about other departments?
Lou Anne
All new police officers in Illinois have to pass a fitness test before they enter an academy. This test usually consists of running 1.5 miles in a set amount of time (depending on the applicant's age), doing a certain amount of sit-ups in a one minute period, successfully completing a bench press test based on bodyweight, and a flexibility or sit and reach test. Many departments add real-life tasks to the testing to determine fitness to do the job.
After being hired, fitness testing is left to the individual police and sheriff's department's policy. The Illinois State Police administer the above initial test and then the same fitness test yearly thereafter. If an officer falls short of testing requirements, he is given opportunity to work with department fitness experts to come into compliance.
Some local and county departments have no further fitness testing policy, and some have programs similar to ours. Check with your local Chief of Police or Sheriff to find out how they monitor their officer's fitness level.
I appreciate the efforts are local LE's make addressing the "Physical" standards of the task.
What I always have a soft-spot for is the "Mental" challenges each officer faces on a daily basis. Calling "time-out" is not part of the equation. Truthfully speaking is that not the most critical part of the job?