A healthy deputy makes safer streets

When I was a teenager, I can remember eating an entire large pizza, or two double cheeseburgers for lunch and still being hungry for supper. When you are that young, you just assume you will be healthy forever. By the time I was 20, I could still eat the same amount but would notice some weight gain and a drop in energy. Still, all it would take is skipping a few meals and going for a jog and I would be right back where I wanted to be.

By the time you are in your mid-30s, you have begun to realize all the advice you have been getting from those who have "been there done that" is true. Now I can eat two pieces of pizza and I still gain weight! To many people getting the right exercise and eating right is something they want to get around to, but with all the busyness in life, we put it off.

This is no exception for members of law enforcement. Although there are many aspects of our job that are very physically demanding, the day of a cop can often go like anyone else's. Make it to work after dropping the kids off at school, try and get caught up on reports and paper work, answer the calls that are coming in, get off work and pick the kids up, start supper, and the next thing you know you are heading to bed so you can get up and do it all over again.

Although more attention has been placed in the work environment over recent years with healthy living for law enforcement, it is far from where it needs to be. We have ballistic helmets, vests, and other gear to help protect officers while they do their "normal" job of chasing and apprehending criminals every day, but what are we doing to make sure they are staying healthy enough to perform the job?

We hear on the news every time a shooting takes place, or some violent act that takes the life of an officer, but did you know that 18 of the 129 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty last year died from heart attacks?

I once had an officer tell me that someone started laughing at him when they saw him get outrun by the guy he was chasing. He said the guy told him maybe he should get out and run a little more so he didn't look so dumb. The officer then looked at the man and said "I was chasing the guy because he just crawled out the window of that house." The officer pointed to the man's house and suddenly the man didn't think it was so funny anymore.

We are not just investing in the deputy when we help them stay in good health. Tomorrow it may be that deputy running code to your house to help you. If we are going to train for the worst, and hope for the best, our training must include all aspects of the job. Over the next few weeks I will be meeting with several people within our community that have expressed a desire to help improve and maintain the health and physical fitness of the employees at the Sheriff's Office. I am excited to see what kind of programs we can create and what can be done when we set our minds to it and work together.