MASTER DEPUTY

Someone always has to be a smart mouth. I am a petite female with large breasts and am well below the suggested weight/height ratio for my age. There always has to be a rude remark from someone in administration. Not all cardio workouts require high impact. High impact sports are well known for causing injuries. Cardio health is sometimes largely dependent on genetics and cannot be guaranteed by exercise alone. Running is not the only way to stay fit. Think outside that little tiny space you use to house your empty brain before you start running your mouth defending the MANDATE that the fitness challenge is the ONLY way to demonstrate fitness.

This is another example of the kind of thinking that brought us the AA degreed people. Some of them have become good deputies, but many, despite their degree cannot make decisions. There are other ways of measuring intelligence, learning, and decision making, just as there are other ways to measure fitness.

Another thought on the tirade on page 1, did you ever think the five pound comment was meant to reflect a proper ratio of body size? The chief is a pretty large man. It should be a comparable weight.

Without being graphic about some specific negative effects of running on women, take a gander at this website: http://media.www.lsureveille.com/media/ ... 7004.shtml

Does anyone know if Master Corporals and Sergeants have to complete this?

[fltoddy]

Not to hijack the thread, but regarding the fitness standards I've always thought it would be "neat" if they could design a course that would more closely mimic a high stress actual patrol situation. For instance, I've been doing this (as a Reserve with 2 different agencies) for a little over 10 years. I've done a lot of stuff, but I've never had to run 2.5 miles, never had to low crawl, never had to pull myself up 5 times, etc.

I have had to sprint for 100-200 yards, yell compliance orders, engage a suspect, maintain radio contact, jump fences, etc. all in a single incident. Personally I don't care if my partner can run 2.5 miles, I just want them to be able to sprint for at least 100 yards and be able to open a can of.....I mean engage a suspect when they get there.

I would love to see our current fitness test include an encounter with an instructor in a red man suit, or instead of a 220 yard sprint in a straight line include a run through the shoot house and up the steps in the fire tower. Include some simulated radio traffic and / or simunitions activities. Or better yet, split the current fitness test in half and stick the firearms qualifications right in the middle. I would appreciate (and be more motivated by) an assessment that mimicked actual situations instead of an assessment that mimicked the Presidential Physical Fitness test.

There is a good chance that if you are still a Deputy you are not disabled or dead. Life is not fair. You can quit and cry about it in front of your computer or go workout, your choice.

[quote=Guest]

What I can not understand is why a physical fitness standard is one of the hardest standards to be met. At one time the title of a "Master" was meant to meant to mean that you had achieved a very high level of education in your area of expertise. Not any more, it is all about looking good. You can be the dumbest deputy we have, but attend so many classes, which you can not fail, and run a course and you are treated as one of the more qualified deputies.

Well, the fact is that after many, many years on the job I became an "old, fat deputy." I can still pass the basic physical standards, which many people are able to walk through and pass --- but I would never be able to pass the "challenge" test.

I am highly educated and not up to where I would like to be physically, but I must admit that I agree with the greater emphasis on physical conditioning. You never know when you will be physically attacked by a felon determined to assault or kill you on the job. Physical conditioning is paramount. Loosing a case is one thing; loosing your life is another.

THAT is why the physical fitness standard is one of the hardest standards to be met.

:!:

The fact that you declare the you "would never be able to pass the "challenge" test," shows a severe lack in character and personal pride and determination. And don't reply with the I'm just being realistic crap.[/quote:1ges496l]

You don't exhibit much skill in reading comprehension.

First, I said I "became an old fat deputy." I didn't stay fat. I'm currently very close to my weight in college, when I was much younger. That said, I did get older and the simple fact of life is that older people perform less well physically than younger people, That is why marathons, triathlons and other similar competitive score not only on over all winners but also on performance by age categories.

We have deputies in their late 50s and perhaps even older. I doubt that you see ANY of them passing the challenge test --- as I said, I would never be able to pass it, (although I could have when I was younger.) It is not a lack of character, it is a fact of demographics.

Did you miss the part of my post which said, "I agree with the greater emphasis on physical conditioning. You never know when you will be physically attacked by a felon determined to assault or kill you on the job. Physical conditioning is paramount. Loosing a case is one thing; loosing your life is another." THAT is why the physical fitness standard is one of the hardest standards to be met.

The last sentence was the point of the entire message, which was a reply to someone asking why the physical fitness standard was the hardest standard to meet rather than education.

The fact is that MOST deputies cannot pass the challenge test. THAT is what makes the Master Deputy position special.

You can take your ignorant, disrespectful disparagement of me and stick it!

:!:

[Average Joe]

What I find interesting is that Police Standards has already set a standard that needs to be met for fitness. With that said how does HCSO's challenge run translate to being a better deputy? How does this requirement compare to other requirements such as education and training? Are they now saying that a deputy that can not pass run should not worry about attending any more training classes, or better yet drop out of college as they will not be able to met the requirement to be a mater deputy?

3 1/2 years ago this Sheriff took over this Office and told the deputies that he wanted the best trained and the highest educated deputies not only in Florida, but in the country. So what is the incentive to those that know they can not pass this fitness test?

All I can say about this topic is that I will try my best when it's time to take this test, however, I know my physical limitations due to my current age and prior injuries and already know that I cannot complete a 2.5 mile run full of obstacles. To me this is very disheartening because I have been busting my butt at work in hopes to make the detective rank or at least master deputy, and now here comes another hurdle. My career has been full of hurdles, most of which I have had no control over and I'm beginning to get pretty darn discouraged. Once again, seniority and job performance take a back seat due to certain peoples ego's. Law enforcement used to be simple, yet effective. This philosophy has been replaced by some in command who now would rather make it modern-day complicated and highly ineffective.

All I can say about this topic is that I will try my best when it's time to take this test, however, I know my physical limitations due to my current age and prior injuries and already know that I cannot complete a 2.5 mile run full of obstacles. To me this is very disheartening because I have been busting my butt at work in hopes to make the detective rank or at least master deputy, and now here comes another hurdle. My career has been full of hurdles, most of which I have had no control over and I'm beginning to get pretty darn discouraged. Once again, seniority and job performance take a back seat due to certain peoples ego's. Law enforcement used to be simple, yet effective. This philosophy has been replaced by some in command who now would rather make it modern-day complicated and highly ineffective.

Hang in there. Unfortunately, it may come too late for you but sooner or later Docobo will be gone and the unrealistic overemphasis on the physical aspects of the job will diminish.

It reminds me of the period when Linda Xxxx was pushing to FIRE any deputy who could not pass her concept of required physical fitness standards. Remember Linda? The nut job who passed out nutrition information along with a screed against cooking in aluminum pots. She was the one who told a class she was instructing that the physical fitness standards were designed to weed out the old guys. (If she had been successful I would have sued the office and her personally.) Her standard involved a minimum number of sit-ups, push-ups, etc., and a run, in a set time period --- things that had no direct relationship to the job requirements.

Fortunately Sheriff Henderson and his Chief Deputy rescinded Linda's announcement that the following year deputies who failed the test would be fired. The Chief Deputy said to me that he did not agree with those people who thought we needed a bunch of "super-cops." The Sheriff told me that if anyone thought he would fire his "best property crimes detective," who he called by name, because he couldn't pass the test they were crazy. We ended up using the much more realistic new state standard which at least reflects some relationship to job requirements.

I was reassured, because I couldn't have passed the running phase of Linda's proposed test.

Still couldn't.

:wink:

I was always told if it ain't in the S.O.P., it ain't happening. Where's the S.O.P on the exact requirements. Meaning, do you have to run non stop? Do you have to do the full pullups? Right now, they don't know their Azzes from a hole in a ground.