OT: Memo Costs Police Chief His Job

[Guest guest]

Hey Jennifer,

 

> Being physically fit and looking it can be two different things.

 

But .. they are both standards that should be demanded of military and

law enforcement personnel. And there is a different kind of physical

fitness demanded of soldiers and law enforcement officers.

 

There might be some fat FBI agents around .. but I've worked with a lot

of them and known many more .. and have not met the fat one yet.

 

County Sheriff Departments are a totally different ball game .. that is

more of a political hiring than anything else .. except in the large

counties like L.A. County and such .. the rural counties often prefer a

grand fatherly old feller who doesn't even carry a stick .. and who does

more counseling than enforcing.

 

> I know several people who are not physically fit looking, but can out

> run, out push up and out last most when it comes to fitness tests. Just

> cause they are over weight doesn't mean anything.

 

It means a lot if one is a soldier .. or a law enforcement officer in a

professional police department. It means little if one is a civilian

next door neighbor or a relative.

 

> Asthma can stop the most physically fit looking person from running.

 

People who suffer from asthma are given medical disability discharges

from the military service .. and desk jobs in most police departments ..

it has nothing to do with discrimination .. its for their own benefit.

 

> Just cause they are societies Idea of fat doesn't mean they are unhealthy

> (I'm a recovering anorexic/bulimic). I know a couple of physically fit,

> healthy people who have dropped dead out of the blue. I admit that if you

> are a beat cop you should be able to to pass a physical fitness test, but

> you know one of the reasons cops eat donuts and coffee so much is the sugar

> rush that one needs in order to fuel all that adrenaline, also if one has a

> job such as a police person chances are their adrenal glands are usually in

> over drive and stress like that can cause a person to retain weight as a

> survival mechanism.

 

All the above might be true .. but the military and the law enforcement

" society " .. or " culture " .. or " occupation " .. demands more of the

members in both performance and public relations than do most civilian

occupations .. and they can not .. in any way .. be compared to civilian

occupations .. nor can rationalization be used to justify otherwise. :-P

 

> I'd tell the police force that had a problem with him.

 

Not sure what this means .. maybe that there were other hidden issues

that had a bearing on the chief being dumped.

 

> I also believe that what the Chief did was well within his scope and he

> was not singling out any one person. I say boo to being PC.

 

Totally agree on both points!! He was trying to " re " establish standards

in an organization that had obviously slipped backwards a good bit.

 

> The people with the problem are the ones that can't see past the fact that

> he may have been different from them and was not going to change. I dislike

> the fact that some people think we are all here to make them feel better about

> themselves and their lives. Some of us are here to make a difference by being

> ourselves and not cowering to fear of hurting someone's feelings because

> they misunderstood something we said. If you have a problem with what

> someone says ask them about what they meant rather than thinking they meant

> to hurt you personally. GROW UP! Get over it and do your freaking job.

 

Totally agree. And .. it is not the duty of a leader in the military or

in a police department to win the hearts and minds of subordinates by

being passive .. by being meek and mild mannered and walking on egg

shells. And it is not the norm for police officers to have thin skins.

If they do have thin skins .. then they are an aggravated assault

waiting to happen as soon as someone calls them a pet name. Leaders of

tough folks have a tough job .. and its their duty to kick butt when

necessary and pat folks on the back when necessary .. they earn the

respect of the professionals by being professional themselves .. those

who cannot respect one who is a professional in their chosen field ..

who are Prima Donnas .. should get the heck out of that field and enter

one that is more in tune with their personality.

 

That's my take .. and I'm sticking to it. ;-) Butch