Police / army dogs (of any discipline) are they safe?

Pops2

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Dude, fat and obese or fat and without the ability to preform their job are both very different.

I'm not trying to be a dick but...

I don't believe the majority of cops are impaired by their weight and I don't believe the majority of working dogs are innately unsafe. We may never agree and no number or hate driven tumblr accounts will sway me, I've been in pit bulls too long to believe every inflammatory photo thread created by a hateful person with paranoia.
WHERE DID I EVER SAY THE MAJORITY OF COPS ARE IMPAIRED BY THEIR WEIGHT. what I said was that SOMETIMES you are more capable than the cops on the scene so don't count on them 100%.
If extra weight & obesity aren't an impairment to the job, WHY DO THEY HAVE WEIGHT STANDARDS AT MOST DEPARTMENTS?
 

JennSLK

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Also for people whining about getting involved please reread post #42
WITHIN THE LIMITS OF YOUR SKILLS & ABILITIES.
For the VAST majority of people that means remembering & reporting to help catch after the fact (but some of us have more skills & abilities).
Trained or not, its a good way to get sued, or shot. Have fun with that since the law about things like that is twisted and the crook will probably win. He could press assault charges since you are not a cop since "reasonable force" is a judgement call esp if you have to actually take them down.
 

Pops2

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It should also be noted you do know that most internet reviews are complaint based, right? Be it about cops or dishwashers. Rarely do people take time to sit down and write a review or post a photo of something expected to be the norm. You're bound to find the exceptions outweighing the good when looking for reviews unless you look for nerd sites per topic, for example using imdb as opposed to fandango when reviewing movies with any substance.
Did you PP train your Mals because you expect to be attacked/robbed every day or because you never know when that one exception to your otherwise safe life might occur? Yes most cops are fit & effective, but you never know when you might get that one who either isn't fit or otherwise isn't up to the job (which might very well only be that day is an exception for them).
Now the photos are because I googled fat cops, as I've already said multiple times most are not obese like those pics. If you leave off the fat & search google images for cops you see mostly people who are relatively fit, just like my BIL & all the cops I know personally. HOWEVER I have seen some seriously fat cops in passing ALL over the country.
 
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All I'll say is that a lot of departments (may vary by state/province or country) only have fitness tests for new recruits. These places are where you'll see obese/unfit police officers. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, for the safety of both officers and the public. I have respect for *most* cops, but there are those that definitely don't look after themselves to the detriment of their performance. Cops are not paragons of virtue, nor are they devils incarnate, they're human and some need 'encouragement' to keep up to par like any other employee in any other industry.

As you can see in this article, the UK has spotted the problem and is trying to address it in what I think is a very effective way:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cut--later-retirement-looms-current-head.html
 

Beanie

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I also am in the group Of "I see more overweight cops" because 4 out of 5 cops I see are far too overweight to catch me if I wanted to run ... Even though I am a smoker but I run half a mile very day & even though I smoke ... I could still outrun an overweight cop.
You realize half a mile every day isn't much, right? You keep bringing that up in multiple threads. I mean keep on keeping on but it's really not a remarkable feat worth bragging about.

Being a distance runner myself I've seen some rather not-traditionally-shaped people finishing marathons and everything below. (Never seen an ultra so can't comment on that.) And a skinny person is really not much more physically able to sprint - or maintain an endurance run - if their fitness ability doesn't already provide for it.

70% of the US is overweight with almost 40% being obese. Realistically, overweight and obese cops are statistically likely. But, really, no more likely than anybody else.
 

Pops2

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Trained or not, its a good way to get sued, or shot. Have fun with that since the law about things like that is twisted and the crook will probably win. He could press assault charges since you are not a cop since "reasonable force" is a judgement call esp if you have to actually take them down.
Depends, if I clothesline or body check a guy running from the cops, he can ask to press charges but whether it happens or not isn't really up to him.
 

Romy

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You realize half a mile every day isn't much, right? You keep bringing that up in multiple threads. I mean keep on keeping on but it's really not a remarkable feat worth bragging about.

Being a distance runner myself I've seen some rather not-traditionally-shaped people finishing marathons and everything below. (Never seen an ultra so can't comment on that.) And a skinny person is really not much more physically able to sprint - or maintain an endurance run - if their fitness ability doesn't already provide for it.

70% of the US is overweight with almost 40% being obese. Realistically, overweight and obese cops are statistically likely. But, really, no more likely than anybody else.
How many overweight pro athletes do you see? None. Overweight Olympians? None.

How many overweight active duty infantrymen do you see? Not many.

Being a police officer is an occupation that requires you to be physically fit to do your job safely and well. No, just being thin does not make someone automatically in shape. But remaining overweight is not conducive to maintaining physical fitness and good health over the long term. Maybe that hurts some people's feelings, but that's just the reality of it. It's not healthy.

Marathon running while carrying extra weight is crap on your joints. Someone can be thin and not do all those things, but the truth is someone who has a lower BMI and does all that stuff like running marathons, sprinting, etc. doesn't have the same risk of damaging their bodies as someone heavier does. By itself, being thin isn't an obstacle to pursuing advanced fitness goals.

I'd expect that, statistically, people working in a field that requires a high level of physical fitness would not be accurately represented by the general populations' average of obese vs. fit.
 

Danefied

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How many overweight pro athletes do you see? None. Overweight Olympians? None.
Apparently you don't watch much pro football? Ever seen a lineman's gut?
What about shot put (sp?) and javelin toss? Those guys aren't exactly trim.

Besides, last I checked, police officers are not a professional athletic team either ;)

How many foot chases do you think cops get in to anyway? We're talking *maybe* one in a year for some of the rural forces out there!

Much more important is an officer's ability to handle people in a, you know, human way... Like dealing with CDV victims, like handling the teen who's already mentally messed up and managed to get his meds mixed up and is now pacing the porch with a gun that may or may not be loaded. Wanna shoot him in front of his parents? Or want to talk him down? That's what cops do. They deal with human beings when they're not at their best. Running fast and shooting straight isn't really that important when you look at a long-term career....
 

AdrianneIsabel

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Did you PP train your Mals because you expect to be attacked/robbed every day or because you never know when that one exception to your otherwise safe life might occur? .
My Malinois are trained for sport and encouraged to have PP behaviors for the chance cops are not around for me. Not to run a vigilante team around the city chasing criminals and doing the job I not only pay police to do but trust police to do. There is a far cry from walking in the woods, running into someone, expecting my dogs to run interference, and getting away or using my dogs as a deterrent in the home or car than to actively seeking out a criminal already being pursued by not only officers but a trained police k9. When I drove a fast car I didn't jump into car chases for concern the cops couldn't keep up with the criminal, I pulled over and let them pass because its the law and a very reasonable law at that.

As a dog trainer when I have some well meaning kid or nonhandlers hovering cookies and repeating commands and trying to "help" it only hurts my job helping their parents train their puppy, that's a worlds away minuscule task comparatively but I still expect busy helpers to get out of my way for their safety and the one being trained.

I don't know if I am better at chasing criminals, I haven't tried it because its not my job and likely never will be. I will stick to paying my taxes and keeping my eyes open. I additionally will stick to thinking people who tear down cops as a whole (such as those who make websites devoted to hateful photos and begin editing photos when they can't find enough real proof) or k9s as a whole and give this as a reasonable excuse to get in the way are foolish and potentially at fault if they get hurt interfering.
 
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My Malinois are trained for sport and encouraged to have PP behaviors for the chance cops are not around for me. Not to run a vigilante team around the city chasing criminals and doing the job I not only pay police to do but trust police to do. There is a far cry from walking in the woods, running into someone, expecting my dogs to run interference, and getting away or using my dogs as a deterrent in the home or car than to actively seeking out a criminal already being pursued by not only officers but a trained police k9. When I drove a fast car I didn't jump into car chases for concern the cops couldn't keep up with the criminal, I pulled over and let them pass because its the law and a very reasonable law at that.

As a dog trainer when I have some well meaning kid or nonhandlers hovering cookies and repeating commands and trying to "help" it only hurts my job helping their parents train their puppy, that's a worlds away minuscule task comparatively but I still expect busy helpers to get out of my way for their safety and the one being trained.

I don't know if I am better at chasing criminals, I haven't tried it because its not my job and likely never will be. I will stick to paying my taxes and keeping my eyes open. I additionally will stick to thinking people who tear down cops as a whole (such as those who make websites devoted to hateful photos and begin editing photos when they can't find enough real proof) or k9s as a whole and give this as a reasonable excuse to get in the way are foolish and potentially at fault if they get hurt interfering.
Well that pretty much says anything I would have said, only better.

I'll just add, exceptions are not the rule.
 

Beanie

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Apparently you don't watch much pro football? Ever seen a lineman's gut?
What about shot put (sp?) and javelin toss? Those guys aren't exactly trim..
Yeah, overweight is semi-common in football, and not just defensive guys either. There was some high school kid not that long ago who is a big, heavy kid, and he had MAD sprints on him - somewhere out there is a highlights reel of all his touchdowns. Not just once... sprinting for touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. Nobody expects a fat kid to be that fast. All those skinny kids trying to chase him down and he was just gone.
I'm thinking of a couple overweight quarterbacks too.

And if we want to debate about how leaner is automatically better for sports performance, heavy weight lifters often maintain a higher level of body fat percentage - they lift more when they are LESS lean. I can think of at least a few basketball players at the college and professional level who are "big guys inside" and the fact that they aren't super lean makes them a serious threat.


But on a broader sense of a professional athlete versus a police officer, it's the athlete's JOB to play their sport and be in the physical condition required to do said sport well. They don't have to do anything else.
I can think of just a few tiny, minor things a police officer might have to do besides work out.
 

Pops2

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My Malinois are trained for sport and encouraged to have PP behaviors for the chance cops are not around for me. Not to run a vigilante team around the city chasing criminals and doing the job I not only pay police to do but trust police to do. There is a far cry from walking in the woods, running into someone, expecting my dogs to run interference, and getting away or using my dogs as a deterrent in the home or car than to actively seeking out a criminal already being pursued by not only officers but a trained police k9. When I drove a fast car I didn't jump into car chases for concern the cops couldn't keep up with the criminal, I pulled over and let them pass because its the law and a very reasonable law at that.

As a dog trainer when I have some well meaning kid or nonhandlers hovering cookies and repeating commands and trying to "help" it only hurts my job helping their parents train their puppy, that's a worlds away minuscule task comparatively but I still expect busy helpers to get out of my way for their safety and the one being trained.

I don't know if I am better at chasing criminals, I haven't tried it because its not my job and likely never will be. I will stick to paying my taxes and keeping my eyes open. I additionally will stick to thinking people who tear down cops as a whole (such as those who make websites devoted to hateful photos and begin editing photos when they can't find enough real proof) or k9s as a whole and give this as a reasonable excuse to get in the way are foolish and potentially at fault if they get hurt interfering.
Again, WHERE THE HELL DID I OR ANYONE OR THAT MATTER "TEAR DOWN COPS AS A WHOLE?" READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO READ INTO IT.
 

Pops2

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And again if being overweight or obese isn't an impairment to the job, WHY DO MOST DEPARTMENTS HAVE WEIGHT STANDARDS?
 

Romy

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But on a broader sense of a professional athlete versus a police officer, it's the athlete's JOB to play their sport and be in the physical condition required to do said sport well. They don't have to do anything else.
I can think of just a few tiny, minor things a police officer might have to do besides work out.
It is part of an officer's JOB to perform at a specific physical level. My point is, when someone is no longer able to physically perform their job they either do something about it, or get a new job. I can't think of anything more important than making sure you continue to be able to do your job.

Being an officer is VERY physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. No doubt. That's why very few applicants actually pass all the physical, academic, and psychiatric testing required to become one in the first place. Not everybody SHOULD be an officer, and not everybody who becomes one remains fit to be one long term (mentally, physically, and emotionally). That includes people who physically cannot perform up to department standards because unlike pro athletes, IT PUTS PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER, ESPECIALLY THEIR OWN.

Also, lean and fit =/= tiny slender twig. Some of these huge thick guys are ripped and have a low BMI.

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/employment/fitness_test.htm

Copy/paste messed up the chart format but if you're curious there's the link.
Physical Fitness Test

The following are the Cooper Institute Physical Fitness Test and Norms for Law Enforcement Standards which applicant’s tests will be based on:

Perform the one minute push up test, followed by a rest period.
Perform the one minute sit up test, followed by a rest period.
Do a cardio warm up for 2 to 3 minutes, and then perform a 1.5 mile run.

Refer to the fitness video for demonstrations of the following tests:
The Cooper Institute Fitness Standards (Male 40%)

Age Push ups Sit ups 1.5 mile run

20-29 29 38 12:29
30-39 24 35 12:53
40-49 18 29 13:50
50-59 13 24 15:14
60 + 10 19 17:19

Note: The Cooper Institute does not have established standards for males 19 ½ years of age in all categories; therefore, these applicants will be held to the 20-29 male standards.

The Cooper Institute Fitness Standards (Female 40%)

Age Push ups Sit ups 1.5 mile run

20-29 15 32 15:05
30-39 11 25 15:56
40-49 9 20 17:11
50-59 12 (m) 14 19:10
60 + 5 (m) 6 20:55

Note: The Cooper Institute does not have established standards for females 19 ½ years of age in all categories; therefore, they will be held to the 20-29 female standards.

(m) = notes the standard for modified push-ups.

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Body Fat Standards


Applicants applying for the position of trooper cadet are required to meet departmental body fat standards, as outlined in the application. Failure to meet these standards will require the applicant to submit a waiver within 10 days of their scheduled test date. Proof can be obtained through having their body fat percentage evaluated under the following guidelines:

Waivers must be printed on official letterhead or other professionally recognized correspondence, and the applicants full name must be clearly annotated somewhere on the waiver.

Waivers will be obtained from a physical fitness facility, gym, health care provider, military, or other credible organization experienced in conducting body fat evaluations.

The evaluation must indicate that the applicant’s body fat is fewer than 20% for males and 26% for females, with a numerical result clearly indicated (ex. 18.5%).
Waivers must not be handwritten and shall contain information related to who conducted the evaluation, the type of measurement used, in which facility it was conducted, and the date and time the evaluation was completed.
There is no portion of that test where being overweight will enhance your performance or give you an edge in any way. And it explicitly states what the body fat standards are.

Officers aren't shot put throwers, they're expected to run, sprint, and wrestle bad guys hyped up on meth if needed. Being overweight is not a help to performing well in those aspects.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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Again, WHERE THE HELL DID I OR ANYONE OR THAT MATTER "TEAR DOWN COPS AS A WHOLE?" READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO READ INTO IT.
You might want to take your own needlessly capped advice. I said those who do are foolish, should you not fit in that description you have no reason to be up in arms.
 

Fran101

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This has very little to do with this thread but just saying adrenaline goes a long way.

I have been a stupid teen drinking before 21, and I have seen how far and how fast "THE COPS ARE HERE!" could take my out of shape little legs :rofl1:

Even if cops are in shape, even if they CAN run just as fast.. criminals I feel have a lot of adrenaline on their side LOL which is why I feel training and general policemen know-how matter more than physical stature in a lot of these kinds of things. A good police officer has that extra edge (the drive to want to catch the person and the know-how), a bad one even if in good shape doesn't have that extra UMPF

and yes, there was a cop calmly waiting around back (where he knew we all would flee) to give us all a lecture on underage drinking and call our parents :rofl1:

We thought we were sooo clever.
"They'll never catch us if we run out the backyard and go around back! genius! Especially since we are being really loud and drunk and clumsy like a herd of idiots!"
Ooh to be young.
 

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