Commission may require periodic physical, mental health checks
IN MASSACHUSETTS, individuals intraining to become municipal police officers must pass a battery ofphysical and psychological tests. But once they become active duty police officers, the testing stops.
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission is thinking of changing that. A commission subcommittee is considering draft regulations that would have municipal officers tested physically and mentally on a periodic basis.
Research indicates police officers face unique physical and mental challenges. They spend much of their work time largely inactive, sitting in cruisers, writing up police reports, and appearing in court. But there are times when they are placed in physically and mentally demanding situations that put enormous strain on their bodies and minds.
A 2023 research paper said police officers nationally are at higher risk of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than the general population. On average, 40 percent of officers are obese, about 5 percent higher than the national average, 74 percent classify with elevated-to-stage two hypertension, and 27 percent have three or more cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Enrique Zuniga, the executive director of the commission, said recurring physical and mental health testing is needed to make sure police officers are up to their job. But he said getting a testing regime in place will be a “big lift.” He is leaning toward making the periodic testing voluntary rather than mandatory.
“I do know that If we mandate top-down conditions to enhance physical and psychological health, the likelihood of success will be low,” Zuniga said. “It would be better instead to incentivize participation in wellness programs.”
A number of police departments in the state already do just that — offer voluntary incentive programs to motivate their officers to be physically fit. There are also voluntary programs to help police officers deal with psychological issues. Both types of offerings are usually part of collective bargaining agreements that municipalities have executed with the police unions.
The police departments in the Massachusetts municipalities of Westminster and Andover, for example, administer physical assessment tests in which the officers are rewarded with either money or days office if they successfully complete the tests.
The results of the tests are assessed using what are known as “norming” standards based on the criteria of age and gender, which means that female and older police officers are given less physically challenging tests in order to level the playing field.
The Westminster Police Department pays its officers $400 every six months if they pass physical fitness tests. Of the 14 officers on the force, nine have participated in the program since its inception in 2022 and have been paid a total off $9,600.
Westminster police officers are also allowed to exercise for an hour during their shift in a small gym at the station equipped with a treadmill, an exercise bike, and free weights. The department even offers its officers yoga instruction right at the station.
The Andover Police Department has an incentive program for motivating its officers to be physically fit, but the incentive is in the form of time off, not money, for passing the physical fitness tests. Conducted once a year, they assess the ability to do bench presses, sit-ups, push-ups, and a 1½ mile run. If the officers pass, they get one personal day off.
Of the 53 officers on the Andover police force,109 have participated in the program since its inception in 2015 and have been awarded a total of 103 personal days off.
“Officers who are confident that they will pass the test are the ones who take it,” said Lt. Edward Guy,” an executive officer with the department.
Police officers must perform tasks in unpredictable and sometimes volatile work environments, which creates a high level of job stress that can lead to psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The police departments in the Massachusetts municipalities of Waltham and Hadley have developed voluntary programs to address such maladies.
The Waltham Police Department runs a program that helps its officers handle the stress by arranging for psychological counseling and participation in peer support groups. “No department records will be maintained regarding any such treatment,” department policy states. “The doctor/patient privilege of confidentiality shall be totally honored.”
The Hadley Police Department has an “early warning system” for addressing mental health issues that entails an interactive computerized system in which officers respond to a series of questions. “These systems allow us to track anything out of the ordinary with our staff so that we can check in on them,” said Chief Michael Mason.
Contrary to municipal police officers, the collective bargaining agreement that the Commonwealth has executed with the State Police requires troopers to successfully complete a job-related physical fitness test every year. Troopers who fail to pass the test are eligible to try two additional times. If they fail the third time, the “issue of of the employee’s continued employment will be subject to review and disposition consistent with all the relevant circumstances,” according to policy.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, who heads up the largest police force in the state, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview to periodic testing of police officers.
But one of Cox’s predecessors, former Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, is not reluctant to weigh in. “Requiring police officers to meet both physical and mental requirements on a yearly basis should be a must,” he said. “Being a police officer is a very stressful job and being in good shape physically and mentally goes a long way to serving the public.”
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