Insert Donut Joke...

[nate99]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090602/...eight_troopers

Let's see, you fail a weigh in test for 24 straight months in a job that requires physical fitness, and taxpayers are supposed to keep paying you? Notwithstanding the few that are probably "overweight" due to additional lean muscle mass, it's hard to feel sympathy for these guys just because they have a sedentary job. So do most of us in this country.

I will acknowledge that indeed most of the population is fat, but apparently a higher standard is too much to ask.

[Bytsi]

Well... I agree that if fitness is part of your job (chasing suspects, etc) then it's important to be at a reasonable weight/fitness level. But using BMI instead of bf% seems ridiculous to me... I do think there should be a LITTLE more leeway than the numbers cited in that article...

[Mahler]

Only when agencies begin rewarding for progress can they see more officers and troopers engage in a healthier lifestyle, he said.

In Ohio, the troopers' contract does include extra monthly pay for those who meet standards. But the state should focus on offering further incentives, taking more of a corrective approach than a punitive one, he said.

Duh!

I guess the public should start filing law suits when these lard asses fail to apprehend criminals because they can't keep up.

[nate99]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

Well... I agree that if fitness is part of your job (chasing suspects, etc) then it's important to be at a reasonable weight/fitness level. But using BMI instead of bf% seems ridiculous to me... I do think there should be a LITTLE more leeway than the numbers cited in that article...

Given that they've only actually suspended a very few, I would imagine if any had a BMI over the limit because of muscle mass that there would be no action taken. If the rules are indeed that poorly worded then they need to change, but that didn't seem to be the point of contention.

The officer seemed to be complaining that they would be cut off after failing, and that the sedentary nature of their job was a contributor to failing the test. On the first point, they get two years (at least) to get in shape, and on the second, that's just a miserable excuse.

If you can pass some sort of enduance/strength/agility test that would correspond to your ability to perform your job (similar to a military PT test) whilst eating a bacon double cheesburger, I say more power to you, but that dimension of fitness, the actual ability to perform, was not mentioned by the complaining parties.