As concerns over school police officer performance continue to make headlines, a closer inspection of physical fitness standards among law enforcement agencies raises questions about the potential impact on public safety and trust.
The only physical fitness standards for police officers in the state of Georgia is a physical agility course completed during training at the police academy, according to Chris Harvey, deputy executive director for Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council (GA P.O.S.T). But after officers pass the initial test, there is no requirement for recurring physical fitness tests.
Breakdown of physical agility test
That agility test is a “two-minute obstacle course,” Harvey said.
Kevin Angell with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) said this particular test lasts two minutes and six seconds and includes cardio elements, as well as fence climbing, hurdles, stairs and crawling through a window.
Additionally, each participant is required to drag a 150-pound dummy.
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Angell said the test features “things that they may encounter in their job,” and noted that everyone entering the police academy regardless of age or sex must take the agility test.
Angell serves as GPSTC Manager of Basic Law Enforcement Training for the Savannah Region.
Law enforcement agencies “set their own standards”
Outside of the agility test, Harvey with GA P.O.S.T said that individual law enforcement agencies have the autonomy to “set their own standards.”
“There aren’t any national standards for police officers,” Harvey noted. “Firefighters have national physical fitness standards, so there’s something kind of to go off of. Police just don’t have that.”
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Harvey said that nothing prevents a law enforcement agency from implementing fitness standards as they choose.
“It’s just left up to individual agencies to decide that,” he said.
According to Captain Eric Abdullah with the Aiken County Sherriff’s Department, South Carolina also has no fitness standards at the state level, either, leaving those details up to individual law enforcement agencies.
Richmond County School System
GPSTC’s Angell provided an explanation of a 40-hour GPSTC course that was taken by members of the Richmond County School System Police Department this year, including two police officers who were involved in a recent cheating scandal.
According to Angell, this course called “Georgia Crisis Intervention Team Program” prepares law enforcement to assist people with mental illnesses, co-occurring disorders and substance abuse. There are no physical fitness training elements included in this course.
Columbia County School District
A statement from the Columbia County School District says of its school department’s fitness standards: “The nature of the job is physically demanding and our officers annually must attend and pass training exercises that include both physical and academic challenges.”
