Officer Perceptions of Mandatory Annual Physical Fitness Standards

One of the most important topics regarding law enforcement is officer fitness, or the larger concern, a lack thereof. Lack of fitness can be correlated to instances of inappropriate use of force and the public outcry of police brutality. Physical conditioning can directly assist an officer in achieving their main objective of every shift which is to go home healthy and safe. Increased fitness increases confidence and provides officers with a greater window of opportunity to de-escalate, showing the public that less drastic measures may be taken in handling stressful confrontations. Failure to set or maintain standards of fitness has in some cases, opened the door to civil litigation such as in Parker v District of Columbia where the proceedings showed that the District of Columbia was deliberately indifferent to physical standards resulting in significant financial compensation. Agencies should consider that an officer’s shift and work environment may indirectly lead to a lack of attention to health and fitness. A “complacency kills” approach may be able to outline the dangers of these lapses in standards but if a pathway cannot be created for these officers, then it may only reinforce the negative thought that they may not go home.