NCJ Number
144589
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 20 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1993) Pages: 24-27
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Physical fitness is a proven component of law enforcement readiness and a prime survival tool of police officers, particularly since heart disease is the main killer of police.
Abstract
National documentation demonstrating the need for police fitness programs emerged in the 1970's. A comprehensive fitness study of the police officer community was completed in 1977 that showed police officers tested lower on fitness and higher on heart disease risk factors than the general population. Other studies also document the need for police fitness programs, and many offer specific program guidelines. The National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals recommends that each police agency establish fitness standards. A survey of State police agencies, conducted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Hampshire in 1991, indicates that the number and extent of existing police fitness programs have changed significantly since 1980. A survey of 4,480 California Highway Patrol officers found that medical referrals and health-related changes in job status decreased during a health screening and physical maintenance program. In the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Focus on Fitness Program, a mandatory fitness indicator test measures the aerobic capacity, body fat, muscular strength, flexibility, and endurance of special agencies. The need for physical and mental fitness in the police profession is discussed, as well as specific measures that can be implemented to improve health and the impact of budget constraints on health programs for police officers.