Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health | (0) Comments
Fat Cop
Here is an interesting article about how the Ohio state highway patrol is trying to control obesity and overweight officers. While it is rare, officers can be dismissed for exceeding their target weight for 24 months in a row. Honestly, of all the people who need to be in decent physical condition, I would put police and fire/rescue at the top.
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Ohio’s highway patrol is among just a handful of state patrols that allow punitive measures against troopers and sergeants who fail to meet weight requirements. Union contracts in Alaska and Massachusetts also allow for removing overweight troopers from duty, although that rarely happens, said National Troopers Coalition chairman Mike Eades.
The rate of police officers who are overweight or obese has grown along with the general American population in recent years, said Dr. Steve Farrell, who teaches police agencies how to implement fitness programs at the nationally respected Cooper Institute in Dallas.
Police officers and troopers may spend most of their workday sitting, either in patrol cars or at desks, but they must be prepared for sudden, extreme amounts of physical effort, such as running after a suspect, Farrell said.
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Some states like Alabama have begun surcharging obese employees for their health insurance since there is a direct correlation between obesity and health care costs. This is a good way to encourage people to take responsibility for their lifestyle choices. But interestingly enough, one of the police officers that was interviewed said this- “If you say to people, ’We’re going to punish you,’ you’re not going to get people to volunteer to comply,†said Weisman, a retired Columbus police sergeant. “It doesn’t motivate them.†I find that to be a very ironic statement coming from a police officer. While we certainly need to encourage people to make the right diet and exercise choices, I think it is entirely appropriate to “punish” people who refuse to do so- either through higher premiums or through “time off” like the Ohio state patrol uses. I think the threat of losing your pay is a very effective incentive. In fact, I’m pretty sure that money is the only incentive that people really respond to because it is obvious that poor health and obesity related diseases have no effect on most folks.
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