Physical Requirements for Police Officers

Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security. ~ John F. Kennedy

Enforcing law and maintaining civil order is no cakewalk. The formulators of law have an easier time when compared to the enforcers, insomuch as their job is done once the law is passed and added as an amendment to the constitution (or whichever method prevails for formulating and introducing new legislations in your part of the world). The enforcers, on the other hand, are left with the dirty job of upholding and safekeeping such law and making sure the actions of all members of the society remain within the defined jurisdiction of such laws.

Enforcement of law is effective only when the enforcers wield power, strength and authority over common civilians because no matter how much human civilization has progressed and how much we vouch by the virtues and ideals of democracy and equality, the hand that wields the stick still commands the herd. This makes it extremely necessary that individuals who become or wish to become a part of any police force must be physically fit and have sufficient strength to intercept a law-breaker when verbal warnings fail. Due to this reason, physical fitness requirements for police officers are taken very seriously and fulfilling these requirements are mandatory and not just desirable. Continuing with this sentiment, let's take a look at what is meant by physical requirements for police officers.

What are the Requirements to be a Police Officer?

Besides physical fitness and strength, which are measured by a physical fitness test, there are a few other physical requirements to be a police officer that an interested individual must fulfill. These requirements include a desirable stature which means the height and weight should not be disproportionate to each other, minimum vision and minimum hearing capabilities. A person wishing to pass as a police officer must not weigh more or less than what is medically acceptable for his height. This is extremely crucial for a person to be able to discharge his daily duties which may require him to do a lot of fieldwork and physical activities like participating in rescue missions, intercepting criminals, etc.

A candidate applying to become a police officer must have a minimum eyesight of 20/40 or more, with or without corrective eye-gear/ lenses. For a FBI police officer, this requirement is tightened to uncorrected vision of 20/200 in each eye which can be corrected to 20/20. Such a candidate's hearing capability must be very acute, so much so that such a person is able to locate the exact sources of more than one sounds coming at the same time. He/she should also be able to understand anything spoken in English and the local language in different volume levels and different dialects from a fair distance. Nowadays, due to so much of immigration taking place all over the world, especially for the purpose of employment, it is desirable, though not mandatory, that a police officer candidate knows more than the two aforementioned languages.

Physical Fitness Requirements

Physical strength and fitness are measured during the physical fitness test. In this test, the candidate is asked to perform various physical tasks in order to ascertain whether he has the ability to subdue and restrain a suspect. Also, muscular endurance, trunk strength, flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance and anaerobic power are also tested. Different countries and states have different sets of physical tasks for testing physical fitness of candidates. These mostly include push ups, sit ups, running and walking for a specific distance, broad jumps, chin ups, sit-and-reach, etc. Flexibility, power and endurance are the main areas that are tested in these physical fitness tests.

Other basic requirements to become a police officer includes minimum age and education. In most places, the minimum age for application is 20 years. Depending upon which department you wish to join, the minimum education requirement may vary from a high school degree to a college degree. Also, the eligibility of a candidate is often decided by a thorough criminal background check. Besides the fitness tests, written tests, drug tests and personality tests (oral or written) may also form a part of the recruitment process. Therefore, if you wish to become a law enforcer for your society and feel you are lacking in any of these areas, pull up your socks and brush up where it is required. After all, that badge is worth the hard work, isn't it?