NCJ Number
83246
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 49 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1982) Pages: 159-166
Date Published
1982
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Panelists discuss the value and content of physical fitness programs in general and particularly the police physical fitness programs of the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Abstract
General studies have shown the value of physical fitness programs not only for physical health but for mental health, particularly as measured by job performance. The basic goals of the physical fitness program of the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement are to systematically assist department members to become physically fit and systematically prepare new employees to stay active and fit throughout their careers and their lives. Objectives are to (1) provide a fitness program that increases the functional fitness areas, including cardiorespiratory endurance, dynamic strength, and flexibility; (2) teach employees to revise and maintain individualized fitness programs; and (3) provide reinforcement and support for maintaining a high fitness level and physical fitness program. The program includes instructor training and incentives for participation, such as on-duty workout time, awards for achieving various levels of physical fitness, and administrative leave days for achieving certain fitness levels. The physical training unit of the FBI Academy determines entry level fitness profiles and improvement indexes prior to leaving. Lectures are presented to students on the holistic approach of fitness, which includes information on diet, nutrition, weight control, and stress management. Individualized exercise prescription is afforded any student desiring it. Students are required to complete a coronary heart disease risk factor chart which profiles each person's risk of a heart attack.