Troopers take part in fitness program
The superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol got to wondering how fit his troopers were. So, he ordered a mass workout.
This week, more than 120 troopers in Northwest Missouri completed a battery of physical fitness exercises to measure muscle strength. The tests, ordinarily reserved for only new recruits, will set the bar for what an in-shape trooper is.
On the fitness course, troopers did sit-ups and push-ups, performed vertical jumps, and ran 300-meter and 1.5-mile courses. Patrol Sgt. Chris Wilson oversaw the training in St. Joseph.
"It's just because of all the things we have to deal with," he said, "all the way from pushing cars off the roadway, moving objects out of the roadway and a physical altercation with someone."
Other local law enforcement agencies also have started physical fitness programs or requirements.
During their recent qualification, Buchanan County Sheriff's Department deputies ran laps, attacked a series of hurdles, jumped a simulated ditch, hauled a heavy dummy, climbed through a window and scaled a wall.
The fitness policy was instituted by Sheriff Mike Strong when he took over about three years ago. The order applies only to deputies with road patrol and civil process duties, as well as investigators with the Drug Strike Force.
"We try to get everyone around 2 minutes, 40 seconds" on the Sheriff's Department's fitness course, said Sgt. Bill Albertson, who oversees the fitness requirement. "It's just an overall general fitness ... and I think it's met (Sheriff Strong's) goal of what he wanted."
The St. Joseph Police Department is looking to start their own optional fitness program for street officers and civilian employees.
Police Chief Chris Connally said the initiative is a way to have more healthy and productive employees. Sgt. Richard Eaton is looking to different departments nationally at what sort of program to institute.
"The goal is to just get everybody more healthy," he said. "Personal fitness is a personal decision."
Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.
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