A few weeks ago, I was walking Scarlett the doberman and normally I'm not scanning the scenery looking for overweight people. But I was caught off guard when I saw a uniformed police officer that was noticeably overweight (it didn't help that I saw him coming out of
Jimmy Johns).
Then I started paying attention a little more and was noticing other police officers that were overweight in other places.
In fact I was in a store the other day and saw a police officer with a belly sticking out and I'll admit, the thought crossed my mind "if I were to take something from this store right in front of him and run, there's absolutely no way he could catch me, unless he shot me in the back."
This article talks about how in Ohio, they actually have it as part of the contract with the state police officer's union to require the officers to stay in shape.
From the article:
No too-heavy Ohio troopers or sergeants have been fired in recent years, but at least 11 have received verbal or written reprimands since January for weighing too much, Department of Public Safety records show. One trooper was 48 pounds over his allowable weight, while another was 40 pounds beyond the maximum.
Union negotiators who began contract talks with the state last month want the rule done away with.
“It’s basically being fired, with the stipulation that once you make weight, then you can come back,” Ohio State Troopers Association President Larry Phillips said of his state’s provision for dealing with consistently out-of-shape troopers. “They are just simply out the door. No health care, nothing.”
I guess at first glance that seems a bit harsh to just outright show to the door to someone if you don't make weight.
But, it's not like the officers don't have an opportunity to lose some of that weight:
Most of Ohio’s troopers meet the patrol’s height-weight standards, Phillips said. But those who fail their monthly weigh-ins for 24 months straight can be removed from duty, with no pay or pension contributions or other benefits, he said.
So you come in and get weighed and are told that you're overweight. You've got
2 YEARS to get to the weight that is considered acceptable. So even if you were at the extreme and were 70 pounds overweight, all you'd have to do is lose 3 pounds a month for 2 years and you'd make it with no problem. Losing less than a half a pound a week doesn't seem that big of a chore, especially if you know doing so will save your job.
Now I'm not bashing cops. They've got a tough job. But, their job is to protect the community from those that would do harm. We've all seen the show
COPS and without fail, at least one time in each show they've gotta run down some half naked idiot for doing some stupid. If the police officers aren't in shape, and who they are looking for is a dangerous suspect, how exactly are they going to catch that suspect on a foot chase?
And don't think the people that are out there don't see that as an opportunity. If I can just hypothetically think about grabbing something in a store and running while an overweight police officer is right next to me and don't have one ounce of desire to do it, there are plenty of people out there that would take that opportunity.
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