Holden Police Department Fitness Program

1
Holden Police Department Fitness Program

• By
• Sergeant Timothy J. Sherblom
• Chief George R. Sherrill
• Dr. Stefanos Kales

2
Introduction

• A well run physical fitness program should be an
  important part of any police departments agenda.
  
• The Holden Police Department prides itself on
  the level of fitness maintained by its officers.
  
• The following presentation outlines the Holden
  Police Departments fitness program.
• If there are any questions during the
  presentation feel free to ask!

3
Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

• Like the rest of the country, Massachusetts
  suffers from an epidemic of obesity.
• More than 56 of adults in the state are either
  overweight or obese, and, of course, public
  servants are not immune.
• In fact, national research on the health and
  physical fitness levels of public safety
  officers, which include police officers and
  firefighters, has shown THEY ARE LESS FIT THAN
  THE GENERAL POPULATION. (The Cooper Institute for
  Aerobic Research)

4
Health Risks for Police Officers

• Cardiovascular disease
• Sleep Disorders
• On duty injuries
• Stress Related illnesses
• Depression/Suicide
• Communicable diseases (HIV,Hepatitis B)

5
Health Risks Continued

• As a group, law enforcement officers have a
  greater morbidity and mortality rate than the
  general public, due to mostly cardiovascular
  disease.
• Recent studies have shown an annual increase in
  the frequency and severity of cardiovascular
  incidences among law enforcement personnel.
• The risk of having a heart attack doubles with
  each decade of law enforcement service.
  (Collingwood)

6
Health Risks Cont.

• Law Enforcement Officers suffer more job-related
  stress than people in other occupations.
• Officers have to make split second lifesaving
  decisions.
• Shift work/long hours
• Encounter angry, upset, uncooperative
  people.(Collingwood)

7
Stress Related Issues

• Marital Problems
• Alcohol Addiction
• Drug Addiction
• Divorce
• Suicide
• Hypertension
• Gastrointestinal Disorders

8
A Little About Our Community

• Holden is located in the beautiful rolling
  hills of Central Massachusetts, just north of
  Worcester, and about forty miles from Boston.

36 square miles 19,000 citizens
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Holden Police Department
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Organizational Structure

• 1 Chief
• 1 Lieutenant
• 4 Patrol Sergeants
• 1 Detective Sergeant
• 1 Detective
• 11 Full-time Patrol Officers
• 4 Full-time Desk Officers
• 3 Part-time Officers
• 6 Police Service Aides

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Massachusetts General Law for Police Officers and
Tobacco Use

• Chapter 41 Section 101A
• Subsequent to January first, nineteen and
  eighty-eight, no person who smokes any tobacco
  product shall be eligible to appointment as a
  police officer or firefighter in a city or town
  and no person so appointed after said date shall
  continue in such officer or position if such
  person thereafter smokes any tobacco products.
  The personnel administrator shall promulgate
  regulations for the implementation of this
  section.

12
Holden Police Department Tobacco Use Policy

• Lieutenants, Sergeants, and Patrolman may not
  smoke or use any type of tobacco product at any
  time on or off duty. This requirement shall
  constitute a condition of employment for all
  Officers. Any Officer violating this provision
  shall be subject to disciplinary action from the
  town. (Holden PD was the first departments in the
  country to institute such a policy.)

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Holden Police Department Policy and Procedure for
Physical Fitness

• Policy
• A number of factors contribute to our
  commitment of proper physical fitness for all
  police officers in this department, including to
  be physically able to perform the law enforcement
  function, to prevent injuries during arrests or
  other violent incidents and to prevent other
  injuries and illness due to occupational stress.
  Therefore, it shall be the policy of this
  Department to encourage, to provide for, and to
  maintain proper physical fitness of all police
  officers within the Department.

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HPD Procedures (Fitness)

• All newly appointed officers shall submit to a
  medical examination and a physical fitness test
  immediately upon or prior to their appointment as
  police officers.
• All officers shall submit to a medical
  examination upon Departmental request at any
  reasonable time, with the Department absorbing
  the cost of such test
• All officers (hired after November 30, 1987)
  shall be required to submit to a physical fitness
  test on a annual basis, to be held between April
  1st and May 31st

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HPD Fitness Procedures Continued

• Such physical fitness test shall be agreed upon
  between the Town of Holden and officers
  representing the Collective Bargaining Unit of
  the Holden Police Association. A copy of the test
  mandates shall be maintained in the Standing
  Orders.
• All police officers shall be required to submit
  to a cholesterol test on an annual basis, the
  cost of which shall be borne by the Town and the
  results of which shall be only given to the
  officer tested.
• The Department shall provide space for exercise
  equipment in the Police Station and the Chief
  shall issue directives relative to officers
  working out i.e. officers are allowed 1 ¼ hours
  to exercise per shift.
• The Department shall encourage all officers to
  use the exercise equipment and the Chief shall
  direct one officer to be the Physical Fitness
  Officer, who shall be delegated to assist all
  other officers with a physical fitness plan.

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Holden Police Department Annual Physical Fitness
Test

• The Chief shall establish an annual physical
  fitness test including an appropriate weight
  level requirement.
• Police Officers and Dispatch Officers appointed
  on or after July 1, 1987 shall be required to
  successfully complete a physical performance test
  annually as a condition of employment.
• Police Officers hired prior to July 1, 1987 may
  participate in this evaluation and, if successful
  in its completion, will receive a stipend of
  1,000.00 yearly

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PT Test Failure

• Officers failing the test the first time will be
  retested in 60 days. Upon completion they receive
  half the annual stipend.
• If an Officer fails the second attempt, they will
  be retested again in 60 days. At this time, upon
  successful completion they will not receive any
  stipend nor be eligible for same until the
  following year.
• Any Officer unable to successfully pass after
  three attempts will be subject to disciplinary
  action by the Town.

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PT Test continued

• PT Test is based on a point system.
• Officers must receive a minimum of 500 points to
  pass.
• PT Test consists of five events each worth a
  certain number of points.
• The Officer who generates the most points during
  the test is rewarded with a day off and receives
  the fitness award.
• The PT Test is scaled depending on the age of the
  Officer.

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PT Test Events

• 1.5 Mile Run
• Sit ups/ 2 minute time limit
• Push ups/ 2 minute time limit
• Bench Press/ 75 of body weight
• Height/ Weight Comparison

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On Duty Workout Program

• HPD Officers may workout for up to 1 hour and 15
  minutes per shift
• Officers may lift weights, go for a run, use the
  elliptical, or participate in some other form of
  cardiovascular exercise.
• The work out program is contingent upon adequate
  staffing levels per shift.
• Participation is encouraged but not mandatory.

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Benefits of Our On Duty Work Out Program

• Reduced Sick Time
• Lowers Stress
• Increases Morale
• Reduction in on duty injuries
• Breaks up the shift
• Improved overall health
• You are getting PAID to work out!!!!!
• No gym fees
• Holistic approach to wellness and policing

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HPD Running Team
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Our New Public Safety Building

• Construction has been completed on our new 34,500
  square foot Public Safety building at a price of
  15M.
• The new gym is almost double the size of our
  current fitness area.
• The fitness area is open to members of the Fire
  Department, Police Department, and retirees from
  both agencies.

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Holden Public Safety Building
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Holden Public Safety Building
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Why is fitness so important to cops?

• Law Enforcement work has been compared to
  military experience as "hours of mind numbing
  boredom punctuated by brief periods of intense,
  unpredictable, life-threatening action." Both the
  military and law enforcement are "come as you
  are" professions. You dont need physical fitness
  very often, but when you do, the absence of
  fitness can have dire consequences for the
  individual officer, his or her partner, and the
  public we are sworn to protect.
• Maintaining an adequate level of fitness is
  not only important to job performance, it helps
  relieve the stress that builds up from day to day
  in the very demanding profession of law
  enforcement. The good news is that the requisite
  levels of fitness are far from Olympian, and can
  be attained in as little as three hours of
  training per week. Coupling an exercise program
  with solid nutritional habits, not using tobacco,
  and controlling the use of alcohol, the life
  expectancy of law enforcement officers can
  approach that of their civilian counterparts.
  (www.cophealth.com)

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Physical Fitness for Law Enforcement Officers
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The Nature of Police Work

• The law enforcement profession is becoming more
  complex and stressful as we enter the 21st
  century. Solid research has shown the life
  expectancy, after retirement, of a police officer
  is much shorter than that of the the general
  population. The suicide rate, divorce rate, and a
  host of other health related issues, including
  alcohol abuse, is much higher for police officers
  than the current national averages. The reasons
  for these problems are many, complex and varied.
  Unique occupational stresses shift work, sleep
  deprivation, critical incident exposure,
  cumulative and organizational stress, and
  leadership issues all play a part. Lack of proper
  diet and exercise coupled with the many stresses
  of the job is a disastrous recipe often ending in
  premature death, or a life which, at best, may be
  categorized as "non-wellness". Family issues also
  play a major role in the overall health and
  wellbeing of a law enforcement officer. The
  attitude, health and emotional stability of the
  law enforcement officer affects the harmony, or
  lack of harmony, in an officer's home. Children,
  spouses and significant others are all victims of
  crippling job stress (www.cophealth.com)

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Conclusion

• Not only is it the police officers duty to
  remain healthy and fit, it is the departments
  obligation for providing him/her the means to do
  so. A fitness program can dramatically improve a
  departments morale, level of discipline, and
  esprit de corp. The officers look and feel
  better about themselves which translates into
  providing better service to citizens of the
  community. In the short term there will be less
  sick time, fewer injuries, improved staffing
  levels, and higher morale. In the long term you
  will have officers who have longer, healthier,
  and more productive careers.

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Works Cited

• The Police Chief Fit for Duty? The Need for
  Physical Fitness Programs for Law Enforcement
  Officers November 2009 Sgt. Adrienne Quigley
  Arlington County, VA PD
• Collingwood, Thomas R. Why Officers Need to be
  Fit Chapter 1 Fit Force Administrator Guide
• Law Enforcement Wellness Association, Inc
  www.cophealth.com
• The Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research. CDC
  BRFSS 2005

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Any Questions ????????

• Contact Information
• Sgt. Timothy Sherblom
• Holden Police Dept.
• 1420 Main Street
• Holden, MA 01520
• 1-508-829-4444
• 1-508-829-9175