Brownsville Police Department K-9 officer Pete Gonzalez grips heavy weight plates in each hand and shrugs his shoulders as part of his workout routine after his shift.
Study aims to create fitness standards for police
Posted: Friday, June 28, 2013 10:15 pm
The Brownsville City Commission voted Tuesday to award a contract for a
physical fitness study of the police force to North Carolina-based Hoffman &
Associates.
The firm’s staff will visit Brownsville and evaluate the area based on its
location, taking into account environmental, geographic and topographic factors
to determine what the appropriate level of fitness for a local law enforcement
officer should be, Rodriguez said.
Brownsville’s relative flatness and proximity to water makes the requirements for police officers different from those in cities in hill country, Rodriguez explained.
Chasing a criminal, for instance, would require more endurance in a hilly town, while Brownsville’s water features, from the resacas to the Rio Grande, increase the likelihood that officers will encounter water, he said.
The Hoffman staff will also tour the police department’s facilities and interview officers across all divisions to ascertain what physical demands are required of the average Brownsville police officer.
“It’s really a sophisticated system,” Rodriguez said of the study, which will cost $67,690.
The goal of the project is to allow a redefinition of the police officer position, he said.
“We are going to modernize our job description based on what officers may have to do in the performance of their duties,” he said.
Currently the job description focuses largely on administrative duties as far as filing reports and making arrests, but the physical requirements are more akin to those applying for non-law enforcement jobs: a medical assessment, evaluation of vital statistics and other exams, like a tuberculosis test.
“There are no other standards in place,” Rodriguez said, noting that the physical requirements pale in comparison to those needed to join the fire department.
The requirements while in the field include running, jumping and climbing, he said, and it’s important that candidates for officer positions are prepared.
“It’s important to me that the officers are able to perform to the best of their abilities. That is important for the community,” he said. “We want to have the best officers out there to perform their duties.”
Rodriguez said he expects many benefits from the study, which will be used to establish new standards for all officers.
“There’s no grandfathering,” the 31-year officer said. “Whether you’re a rookie officer or a seasoned veteran, I need to be able to perform the same duties as an officer coming out of the academy can do. We feel that, by doing this, it will set a clear direction and a standard for the officers.”
Rodriguez said that more physically fit officers are less likely to become injured; plus, he envisions the community will embrace the new standards.
“I think the community deserves it and expects it. Our officers feel the same way,” he said. “The officers, they’re really in favor of this. Studies have shown a fit officer is going to perform better.”
Rodriguez said the new fitness standards are part of what he hoped to bring to the force when he took over as chief last year, along with the new appearance policy and the department’s social media presence.
“This has been something we decided we felt was important,” he said, noting the enhancements he’s championed in the past year. “Why not address fitness?”
Brownsville’s relative flatness and proximity to water makes the requirements for police officers different from those in cities in hill country, Rodriguez explained.
Chasing a criminal, for instance, would require more endurance in a hilly town, while Brownsville’s water features, from the resacas to the Rio Grande, increase the likelihood that officers will encounter water, he said.
The Hoffman staff will also tour the police department’s facilities and interview officers across all divisions to ascertain what physical demands are required of the average Brownsville police officer.
“It’s really a sophisticated system,” Rodriguez said of the study, which will cost $67,690.
The goal of the project is to allow a redefinition of the police officer position, he said.
“We are going to modernize our job description based on what officers may have to do in the performance of their duties,” he said.
Currently the job description focuses largely on administrative duties as far as filing reports and making arrests, but the physical requirements are more akin to those applying for non-law enforcement jobs: a medical assessment, evaluation of vital statistics and other exams, like a tuberculosis test.
“There are no other standards in place,” Rodriguez said, noting that the physical requirements pale in comparison to those needed to join the fire department.
The requirements while in the field include running, jumping and climbing, he said, and it’s important that candidates for officer positions are prepared.
“It’s important to me that the officers are able to perform to the best of their abilities. That is important for the community,” he said. “We want to have the best officers out there to perform their duties.”
Rodriguez said he expects many benefits from the study, which will be used to establish new standards for all officers.
“There’s no grandfathering,” the 31-year officer said. “Whether you’re a rookie officer or a seasoned veteran, I need to be able to perform the same duties as an officer coming out of the academy can do. We feel that, by doing this, it will set a clear direction and a standard for the officers.”
Rodriguez said that more physically fit officers are less likely to become injured; plus, he envisions the community will embrace the new standards.
“I think the community deserves it and expects it. Our officers feel the same way,” he said. “The officers, they’re really in favor of this. Studies have shown a fit officer is going to perform better.”
Rodriguez said the new fitness standards are part of what he hoped to bring to the force when he took over as chief last year, along with the new appearance policy and the department’s social media presence.
“This has been something we decided we felt was important,” he said, noting the enhancements he’s championed in the past year. “Why not address fitness?”
