ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, April 23, 1997              TAG: 9704230053
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA THE ROANOKE TIMES 

PULASKI OFFICERS START FITNESS REGIMEN FROM PAPERWORK TO PUSH-UPS

Pulaski police officers are finding out where they rank physically as the department moves toward a physical fitness standard for all sworn officers.

Some of the officers were not flexible enough to touch their toes. Others puffed to a halt before walking to the finish of a mile and a half run. Some officers, however, sprinted across the finish line with air to spare and were as flexible as a yoga master.

It became clear during recent fitness tests that the range of physical agility among officers in the Pulaski Police Department is as broad as the duties they face each day.

The majority of an officer's work, admittedly, is not physically demanding: paperwork, patrolling the streets by car, public education presentations. Yet, on the spur of a moment, an officer can be called into a physically demanding situation such as a foot chase.

For those reasons, Police Chief Herb Cooley is stressing the need for a physically fit force in his department.

All 30 sworn officers, including Cooley, have been tested within the last two weeks using LawFit, one of two programs marketed nationwide to assess an officer's overall fitness.

Right now the Pulaski force is establishing a baseline of where its officers score physically using a system that takes age into account. Each officer was tested on sit-ups, bench press, mile-and-a-half run and flexibility.

Pulaski is one of the first departments in the New River Valley to begin a regular physical assessment program. The Wythe County Sheriff's Office, where Cooley's brother heads the fitness regime, already has a program, but no other area agencies do more than test their officers when they are hired.

Doug Cooley, a lieutenant colonel with the Wythe County Sheriff's Office, administered the tests in Pulaski. The Wythe County department has had a physical assessment program for more than three years and the results have been positive, he said.

"We heard negative comments at first," Doug Cooley admitted. Now, he said, the program is part of the department's "master deputy" rank (which means more pay and prestige) and encourages officers not only to stay physically fit but to compete for the honor.

Herb Cooley said his long-term goal is to make physical fitness a part of the job, possibly even setting time aside in an officer's schedule to work out. In the short term, Cooley said, all officers will be retested in three to four months. He hopes the ones with relatively low scores will have improved. Cooley calls his team of officers "relatively young," but said their overall fitness level does not reflect that.

"This is a very sedentary job. You can ride and ride for a month and do nothing and then in an instant be subject to a 100-yard dash," Cooley said. "I just felt like this problem needed to be addressed. I think a time will come when this will be mandatory for all law enforcement officers."

The inherent stresses of police work can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and other physical disabilities, Cooley said. In fact, the state recognizes the high-risk nature of police work by offering an early retirement package and "presumes" any officer who gets hypertension gets it from the stress of the job.

Cooley is so adamant about the physical health of his officers that he only hires nonsmokers. He said the state law's presumption of a tendency toward high blood pressure allows him to make such a distinction in his hiring. The department also participates in regular blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.

Doug Cooley said the issue of whether it is irresponsible to allow a physically unfit officer on the streets has even been addressed in the courts.

"There is a potential liability for police ... ," according to law enforcement agency attorneys, he said.

Herb Cooley said he knows the development of a fitness program will not only benefit the department, but the officers as well.

"He gains, his family gains, the department gains, and we're all better off all around," he said.

LENGTH: Medium:   88 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ALAN KIM/THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. Chief Herb Cooley stands 
          by as his brother Lt. Col. Doug Cooley, with the Wythe County 
          Sheriff's Office, spots Rusty David in the bench press. 2. Sgt. Bob 
          VonUchtrup, 54, flexes his biceps for Lt. Col. Doug Cooley and Sandy
          Wilhoit. VonUchtrup claims the only exercise he does to stay in 
          shape is to mow the grass and go on walks with his wife. color. 3.  
          Commander Wes Davis (left) does a one-minute situp test while Sgt. 
          Bob VonUchtrup holds his feet. The veterans with the force are 49 
          and 54 respectively and in top condition.