Keeping Veteran Officers in Shape

It is probably one of the profession’s greatest ironies that many veteran officers either lose sight of the value of staying physically fit or they begin to “coast” toward retirement, believing that the need to be physically fit won’t be as great once they’ve left the badge behind. The need to stay fit throughout the career can be fairly easily articulated (and we’ll discuss it farther down). The value of staying fit after a career has ended is just as great, though, thanks to the stress management benefits that continue.

What too many officers (and agencies) neglect to keep in focus is the need for fitness beyond the physical. What level of stress we experienced across the span of a 20-plusyear career is impacted by our emotional fitness, mental fitness, spiritual fitness AND physical fitness. It’s been long known and proven that there is a link between physical fitness and stress reduction—which would benefit both our mental and emotional fitness—and a reciprocal connection between stress management and all types of fitness. Let’s refer to them hereafter as ESPM—emotional, spiritual, physical and mental.

The bad news is that if any one of them is neglected or challenged, it can potentially impact all the rest. The demands of law enforcement impact all four and can be best managed in balance. In other words, if you have a stress load of 100%, each segment of fitness should be “carrying” 25%. But if your physical fitness is poor and can only handle 10%, then the other three are stuck with 30% each. If your physical and emotional are both neglected and (for the sake of this article) at 10% each, then spiritual and mental are at 40% each.

If you continue that pattern you can easily see where balance matters and if it’s off it impacts other segments of your health. This shouldn’t be news to any law enforcement professional. It’s something you should have heard in the police academy, and any good supervisor (like your corporal or sergeant) should be reminding you of steadily. After all, if your performance starts to drop off because of any fitness imbalance, it affects your entire squad, right?

So, how do we go about maintaining fitness and balance? First, we need to understand that not every officer has the same values. Where we list ESPM, some officers may not have much of, if any, a spiritual life. That’s not a judgmental statement. Some folks aren’t very religious or spiritual; it’s just how they are. But does that mean anything to them for their career? It means that when they face a challenge that others among us would go to see a spiritual advisor (Reverend, Minister, Priest, etc) for, that officer doesn’t have the same source of solace or guidance. That said, we ALL have the EPM part—emotional, physical and mental.

Second, we need to admit that almost every day on the job presents us with challenges to all three fitness aspects. We have to chase, fight, etc. (physical); we have to see trauma, comfort grieving people, etc. (emotional); and we have to solve problems we’re presented with even if we have no training in solving the particular problem subject at hand (mental). So, at a bare minimum, we need to regularly pay attention to those segments of our fitness.

That means that “keeping our veteran officers in shape,” means supporting and motivating them to pay attention to all three aspects. This is where a good mentoring program and some motivational policies are a good idea. Now, not many agencies have a formalized mentoring program, but most agencies have that officer (or officers) who has been around for a while, understands the ins and outs, and generously offer their guidance to those junior to them. (The really good ones offer guidance to the senior staff too and do it in such a way that it’s not only accepted but appreciated).

The mentor can, without presenting threat or even implied challenge, encourage the officer(s) to maintain their fitness level. He can have conversations about the value of keeping fit, most especially if he’s done that throughout his career and is fit as he gives the advice. He can counsel officers when they face emotional or mental challenges, and do so in a way that seems conversational rather than critical. “You did a really good job with that. Have you ever considered trying this?” He can offer guidance about doing something constructive with off-duty hours; activities that promote physical fitness while detaching the officer from the emotional or mental challenges of work. In other words, not sitting around drinking a beer while watching TV hoping that you won’t think about what happened last shift.

The agency can put in place, if they don’t already have them, incentives for passing regular fitness tests; tests that are applicable to the job and not just “run, push up, sit up” tests. Park a cruiser, run to a fence, hop the fence, go over that picnic table, climb through that window, drag that rope dummy, run back to the cruiser—for time. The incentive can be a bonus payment, rewards of extra paid leave, or even something as simple as a paid gym membership for a few months. Further, an agency can make passing the fitness test a requirement for promotion to the next rank, and if it does both—promotion requirement and incentive program—officers can be motivated, without threat of any type of discipline if they fail to stay in shape, to take and past the test.

In the long run, the goal is to get through your 20-25 (or more) year career with all segments of your health intact. It’s better to retire in good shape so that you can fully enjoy that retirement and partake in activities that might not be available (or a good idea) for the officer who’s hypertense, has high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. The idea is to retire with your stress managed and minimized, your mind sharp, your emotions not compromised and your body still fully functional. Your spiritual fitness is up to you—but don’t neglect it, either.