It blows my mind cops don't have fitness tests and weight limits like the military does.

How does a guy like this chase any perp who is not wheelchair-bound and 80?

By shooting them in the back ofcourse. Funny how a fleeing subject is a dnager to the lives of policemen but an aproching subject is not a danger to a citizens life, idntit?

It blows my mind cops don't have fitness tests and weight limits like the military does.

That would be discriminatory against the 'big-boned'.

Is that a cop? It looks like a parking lot attendant

"It blows my mind cops don't have fitness tests and weight limits like the military does."

The unions would throw a hissy fit if they required such a thing.

Though, to be honest, there are a few departments who do have fitness standards. And, in many departments your chances of getting promoted while looking like that are very slim.

> It blows my mind cops don't have fitness tests and weight limits like the military does.

On the bright side, they ** DO ** have IQ standards they have to meet.

E.g.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/19/weekinreview/ideas-trends-help-wanted-invoking-the-not-too-high-iq-test.html

WANTED: a few not-so-bright cops.

That is the official hiring policy in this former whaling village, where Police Department officials refused to grant Robert J. Jordan a job interview because they considered him to be too smart, then waged a three-year court fight to protect their right to favor mediocre applicants.

And won.

The City of New London contends that applicants who score too high on a pre-employment test are likely to become bored in patrol jobs, and leave the force soon after the city has paid to train them. Similar cutoffs, it turns out, are frequently used by employers when they are looking for workers who must follow rigid procedures, including bank tellers, customer service representatives and security guards.

In 1996 Mr. Jordan scored 33 out of 50 on the exam, which is used by 40,000 employers across the country, including National Football League teams for potential draft choices. That was 6 points too high to qualify for an interview with the New London police.

I remember this game from elementary school! Let's all wait until after class and then call him "fatty fatso" and stick our tongues out at him!! Then we can chase him home, calling him names and laughing!! Maybe we can even throw rocks too!

yay!!

Amy, you're being a big poopyhead bully. It's not his fault he's fat, society made him that way.

I'll grant he looks chubby. But do not be so quick to judge. Sumo wrestlers are chubby too, and you don't want to fool with them. So would many football players for that matter.

I'm really confused. I was routed here to read your TSA article so I hit "home" and saw this was your most recent post. Directly beside a photo of your book claiming to "beat some manners into impolite society" is a post of you calling a police officer fat.

While there are tons of fat people who are fat because they overeat/are lazy/etc, there are also tons of fat people who are fat due to medical reasons or injuries they suffered on the job which cause them to be less active before they realize they must stop eating as many calories to keep the same weight.

I guess you must know this man's individual circumstances to judge him so. Sad he's not up to your standards. Since I'm unfamiliar with your blog, I'll just assume this is your standard attitude and stop reading here.

I don’t have a problem with obese cops. Be advised that committing crimes in the vicinity of doughnut shops should be at your own risk.

Erin, this is about par for the course here. I anticipate a "don't like it, don't visit" response shortly.

I think she has a good point.

If she feels that the police officers are not active enough to defend her, why should she be paying the taxes that pay his wages? She's not picking on any of the other fat people waddling down the street, but she's pointing out that she thinks he's too fat to do his tax payer paid job.

And I will agree to a certain extent. However, I will point out that just because a person is fat doesn't mean that they can't outrun an assailant, and I would love to see his comparative scores on a fitness test.

Is this an lapd officer, or a uniformed parking lot attendant? Fitness requirements could be understandably different. PC Police fitness requirements? I've no idea.

"there are also tons of fat people who are fat due to medical reasons or injuries they suffered on the job which cause them to be less active before they realize they must stop eating as many calories to keep the same weight."

WHo cares why he's fat? Being able to physically chase and stop bad guys is a requirement of his job that I rather doubt he can fulfill. In the real world, if you can't do ALl your job, you should not have that job.

Although to be fair, the bulletproof vest does add some girth. My little brother is in great shape, but looks a little pouchy when he's all geared up. Nothing like this guy, though.

Evidence-based analysis would identify valid criteria for performance of his duties, and then test to those standards. I'll wager girth is not a valid performance metric. Doohickey-having probably is, of course.

I don't have a twin, so I can't speculate. If he meets the requirements, and the requirements are accurate, I don't care how girthy he is.

Gotta run; on deadline. I'm sure you understand.

Well, here's the thing: he may well have passed his physical when he first started out in the department, but years later, like now, he probably won't pass it. If the PDs were smart, they'd have mandatory physicals/fitness tests every 3 years or so. Keeping the force fit, so to speak.

I'm not saying that he can't outrun his eighty pound lighter twin. I'm saying that without seeing him run or do some kind of physical activity, I would not want to count him out for being able to finish a physical feat test.

I remember the girls in track that were twenty to fifty pounds heavier than the smaller girls mostly in belly mass that could regularly outrun the twigs. If I had bet on appearances alone, I would have lost.

@amy:

> They must not test after hiring.

Before hiring, a candidate is not a member of the union.

...excuse me. "Patrolmen's Benevolent Association".

After hiring, the government employee ** IS ** a member of the union.

That tells me everything I need to know about whether they retest.

"I guess you must know this man's individual circumstances to judge him so."

I do.

I can see the uniform.

Is this really the person you want to show up when you really, really had to call 911?

I think not. Now, think, yourself. Do you really want your tax money to go to Dunkin' Donuts, then to the extra health-care costs of this guy when he gets medically discharged?

Fat firefighters - why, yes I have seen them. I've spent the last 4 years with my LAFD FF/Paramedic BF, and while most are fit, some are not.

My BF is on the SM stairs (14 up/dw running) and works the weights at the station (they all have them). He is THE guy you want to see coming (and going, oh that butt!) to pick you up and carry you out of a dangerous situation.

And then there's the other FF/P who is so fat, he's permanently out of breath. Can't fire him, can't require him.

I'm with Amy and Flynne.

What is the American equivalent to the RCMP?

If you wannabe one of them, you have to have a 38 waist or less. My father was put in the ammo warehouse with a 40 inch waist, and since he never lost the weight, was never allowed back into active service.

They cut his pension too.

TJIC, is that New London, as in Kelo vs.?

My ex is a cop in NYC. To get on the job he had to pass many physical tests including fat calibrations before he was hired and before he graduated the academy. He did what many of them did which was eat too much and gain over 100 pounds. Him and the guys in his unit would regularly have a Fat Man Contest to see who could lose the most weight in a period of time. The average weight loss was between 50 and 75 pounds. The contest would end and they'd all gain the weight back and have another contest. When I divorced him, he was topping out at 380 and going up.

The NYPD made some noise a few years back about making cops maintain a certain weight, but that was because one of the local papers pointed out the weight problem in the NYPD. Once they found a new story, the weight requirement for officers already on the job went away too. Oh, and my ex eventually made it over 400 and had his stomach stapled.

And where the heck is Crid? I miss him during these discussions.

I take it that most of you are the opinion that "all" overweight folks are slovenly or unfit. They may have a significant health risk some overweight folks can actually run and jump.

Jena of Sisterly Advice

Matt wrote: That would be discriminatory against the 'big-boned'.

I believe the PC term is BBW.

Jena, your comment lacks punctuation, so it's a little hard to figure out what you're trying to say.

I have not had much experience with discrimination, but I know that anytime I have ever filled out a job application, most companies ask if you have any disability that would keep you from performing the tasks required by the position you are applying for. If they can ask that upon application, doesn't it make sense the employer should be able to terminate your employment if you are no longer able to, even if you were a fit, able-bodied person upon hiring? for instance, I need to be able to stand, bend and walk anywhere from 2 to 2.5 miles a night at my job to get to patients to draw their blood. If I am in an accident (knock on wood), and am left paralyzed I can no longer perform my job to the extent required. If a cop gets fat and can no longer pass his fitness test, and is let go what's discriminatory about that? Especially when obesity is considered a disability by the government to the extent that they will pay people to not work due to it. I just don't know what grounds an obese person who can't perform their job has to stand on.

A good entrepreneur would go into the stomach staples biz.

Here is a question to ask before you defend the fat guy above. Which would you rather have a smart old doctor with an Indian accent or a stupid good looking one who barely passed his boards. Another example would you rather have a plain intelligent 30 something woman or a 19 year old blond nympho with daddy issues as a prostitute. Sometimes I will discriminate because it will suit to what I want done.

Me I want my cops tall, fit and with a little bit of dirty Harry attitude. Sorry I do not want the guy from "King of Queens" as my protector.

Now I will give some leeway to older cops who start to get slower and fatter but only if they are moving on to different responsibilities. It happens - part of life but there must be some standard to at least pass.

What is the American equivalent to the RCMP?

There really isn't one.

Many of the areas of responsibility of the RCMP are split in the US among several agencies, including the US Coast Guard, the US Border Patrol, the FBI, the US Secret Service, the TSA, ICE, the ATF, and various state, county, and municpal police agencies.

Jena, punctuation and proper spelling are rarely a requirement here - you're doing fine.

I'm overweight AND under-muscled. Maybe I can apply for an AA slot on this police force.

I'll try to translate Jena for ya, Amy:

You have no idea if he is a semi-pro offensive lineman that can run a 4.7 40 and bench press 500 pounds in his off time. You assume he isn't and can't (and you're probably right), but you have no idea.

(My addition)
Your assumption that all large people are out of shape is kinda of like the TSA's assumption that everyone carries bombs somewhere on their person.

No dyspepsia. There's nothing wrong with contrary opinions, and 'get out of good grammar/spelling' plays both ways.

Another example would you rather have a plain intelligent 30 something woman or a 19 year old blond nympho with daddy issues as a prostitute. Sometimes I will discriminate because it will suit to what I want done.

Posted by: John Paulson

I'm confused, are these two hypothetical prostitutes working for me, or on me?

Conan:

That seems like a helluva lot of division, how do you guys keep it all straight? Jurisdictionally speaking? And who regulates all the different agencies? They can't all report to the same regulatory body, can they?

Somehow I don't think you can compare the cop in the picture to sumo wrestlers, linebackers or professional wrestlers. Guys like that may not have sculpted bodies, but you can usually see they're carrying some muscle under the bulk and the heft is more evenly distributed. Sure, it's entirely possible the man in the picture is quite agile. But I don't think it's very likely. And if you're working at a physically demanding job, it's not unreasonable to suggest that it's a problem.

...most companies ask if you have any disability that would keep you from performing the tasks required by the position you are applying for...doesn't it make sense the employer should be able to terminate your employment if you are no longer able to, even if you were a fit, able-bodied person upon hiring?
You have a good point, Jessica. In many cases, what companies are doing (in theory, anyway) by asking if you have a disability that would impair your effectiveness in the position you're applying for, is trying to ascertain what reasonable accommodations may need to be made to ensure equal employment opportunity to the disabled. While the discussion pertains to existing employment that had been qualified for upon application, prior to obesity onset, the application question illustrates an obligation to ensuring equal opportunity that continues for the duration of the employment. You mentioned the determining factor in this:
If a cop gets fat and can no longer pass his fitness test, and is let go what's discriminatory about that?...Especially when obesity is considered a disability by the government to the extent that they will pay people to not work due to it.
If obesity qualifies for payment of disability benefits, it would also theoretically qualify for consideration of reasonable accommodations to be made by an employer for equal opportunity. Such accommodations may include a procuring a position more suited to the capabilities possessed by the applicant or employee, on a temporary or permanent basis as befits the situation.
I just don't know what grounds an obese person who can't perform their job has to stand on.
I understand where you're going with this, but (to my understanding) the determining factor would be whether the employer makes reasonable effort to find an alternative position or make other arrangements, such as providing resources to assist the employee in requalifying for the original position held. The employer has every right to deny employment in a certain position if an employee or applicant is unable to fulfill the qualifications, or altogether if no other position is available that the individual meets eligibility for, but they must ensure that reasonable considerations have been made for the impaired.
In my opinion, John Paulson hit this spot-on:
Now I will give some leeway to older cops who start to get slower and fatter but only if they are moving on to different responsibilities. In summary:
When a cop is hired, he or she should be required to have the capacity to haul ass & break bad when duty calls for it.
When the cop's Snickers bar gut makes it harder to catch his breath after tying his shoes than it is to gasp "Stop or I'll shoot!!!", then it should be a choice between a trip to the Fat Farm or a transfer to be a desk jockey.