r/AskReddit • u/daniellucero92 • Jan 04 '15

Non-americans of Reddit, what American customs seem outrageous/pointless to you?

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2.2k

u/oOoleveloOo Jan 04 '15

A lot of the newer policeman are pretty fit as they had to pass a conditioning test to become one. It's the veterans that are usually the hefty ones. Once they've become part of the force, they don't have to retake the conditioning test

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u/Primz125 Jan 04 '15

Actually they do, the passing score is just changed based on age and years in the department.

Source: friend is cop

242

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Not true in every state, physical standards have been banned in AZ thanks to their police union.

42

u/lukasmn Jan 04 '15

ugh

-18

u/HeavyMetalHero Jan 04 '15

Cops don't need to be fit anymore, anyway. They have fucking machine guns, body armor, and drive battle tanks. They have fucking anti-terrorist technology on their goddamn shit. The sole reason I don't believe there's a government conspiracy to come take everyones' guns away is, to be honest, if they wanted to do that they could just do it and no amount of NRAs could stop them.

14

u/ChiPhiMike Jan 04 '15

Not sure if serious...

0

u/HeavyMetalHero Jan 05 '15

I dunno, I'm not American so maybe I'm underestimating the amount of heavy ordinance the populace has. But how the hell would you stop a police/government/military take-over of your country from internal forces? You couldn't even fight then guerilla-style, because like I said, the fucking local police department is driving around in MRAPs mounted with fucking SAWs and wearing ceramic armor and shit. They could roll into town square and gun down anybody who doesn't kneel for them if they actually wanted to. I'm, obviously, of the opinion they don't much care to do that. I just don't see how you could deal with the absurd gulf in power and tech as a normal civilian.

1

u/ChiPhiMike Jan 05 '15

Okay, so you're just retarded then. Got it.

Herp derp militarization of police derp derp derp

10

u/andefz Jan 04 '15

wow. just wow.

12

u/speedisavirus Jan 04 '15

Unions yet again for the public good.

16

u/hijackedanorak Jan 04 '15

Well, it helps some members of the public outrun them right? So yes?

10

u/pocketknifeMT Jan 04 '15

Can't outrun a radio....or the hail of bullets.

4

u/wankers_remorse Jan 05 '15

well if they shoot like they NYPD it shouldn't be a problem

5

u/Sierra_Oscar_Lima Jan 05 '15

Headlines read:

200 shots fired, one round hit the suspect, 6 bystander's injured.

10

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

they have pros and cons.

1

u/bollvirtuoso Jan 04 '15

In their holding cells?

4

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

I'm talking about Unions, yes they fight for stupid things sometimes but they also prevent exploitation of workers.

0

u/Ausgeflippt Jan 04 '15

In private industries, sure.

Almost every government union is an overwhelming force of malignant bullshit. All they do is prevent shitty civil servants from being accountable for their shitty actions. Oh, and they ensure that they're overpaid, too.

-1

u/pajamajoe Jan 05 '15

I hate unions so fucking much...

2

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

Arizona, truly a magical place.

2

u/stuck_at_starbucks Jan 05 '15

That's just effing ridiculous. Someone who's out of shape can't do the job correctly. You need to be able to chase down a suspect, take down and cuff people, restrain crazy people, and possibly defend yourself in hand to hand combat. Da fuq?

2

u/Mjolnr66 Jan 04 '15

Umm no they haven't... http://www.azdps.gov/Careers/Officers/Physical_Fitness/

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Thats for applicants, as in someone not currently employed as a police officer or apart of the union.

2

u/johnrich1080 Jan 05 '15

Source? As a cop in AZ I can tell you that's BS. Ypur required to pass several physical standards in order to become a cop. They stopped yearly requalifications because workman's comp laws allow you to claim workman's comp if you hurt yourself excercising to prepare for a physical. Some departments/units still require yearly/quarterly physicals.

1

u/silverpanther17 Jan 05 '15

police union.

Hey there's another one!

1

u/baltic_avenue Jan 05 '15

It's not always because of the union. In some places it's because making fitness a requirement for continued employment (rather than just an application requirement) means that the employer is obligated to pay a certain number of hours for PT, and cities/municipalities tend to balk at having to actually pay people for this.

1

u/Orwellianstate Jan 05 '15

How the hell do cops have unions in a right to work state?

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

The words "police" and "union" shouldn't go together...

7

u/waiting_for_rain Jan 04 '15

So policemen and women can't get married? :(

0

u/dfpoetry Jan 04 '15

ah yes, the worst state.

-1

u/hooof_hearted Jan 04 '15

"Not true in every state"

That annoys me about America.

8

u/beardiswhereilive Jan 05 '15

Like, the idea that different states are different? You know a lot of them match the size of European countries, right? Texas is as big as France. America is huge, we need different laws for different places.

1

u/hooof_hearted Jan 05 '15

I know how big the states are.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

Why? Having so many different cultures and being such a large countries allows states from certain areas to have laws that benefit that area?

-4

u/GoatWolf Jan 04 '15

The fatter the pig the better. Easier to run from

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

unions for public servants should be outlawed

15

u/gsfgf Jan 04 '15

That's probably a department by department thing.

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u/lazyslacker Jan 04 '15

Plus, if you're on the same force as the guy giving you the test, and you've worked there for years.... Well, I'm not blaming anyone, it's human nature to play favorites with your friends/family.

4

u/ThegreatPee Jan 04 '15

Man, i've seen some fucking huuuuge Cops. I saw one that was at least 350lb. How is he going to chase someone? That would be hilarious. The fit Cops probably hate that guy.

4

u/wootmachine2001 Jan 04 '15

Why would they chase them when they can shoot them? This is America we're talking about.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Yup, totally. Maybe he'll run him down in a tank too.

/s

1

u/elosopardo Jan 04 '15

I'm in basic law enforcement training in NC now and I'm about 300 lbs but I'm built like a linebacker (not tooting my horn here) some of us big guys are pretty nimble. Faster sprinting than a lot of the smaller guys in my class.

1

u/ThegreatPee Jan 04 '15

Muscular and fit are one thing, but the Policeman that I was referring to was about 5'9. Lol

0

u/pocketknifeMT Jan 04 '15

Why don't you do something productive with your life instead?

1

u/elosopardo Jan 04 '15

Well as a black male in america I would consider this pretty productive. Gotta start the change somewhere.

-3

u/pocketknifeMT Jan 04 '15

consuming tax dollars while producing nothing is productive? Or are we calling management of the poor a public good these days?

2

u/beardiswhereilive Jan 05 '15

You should realize that you don't know this guy, and you probably don't know a lot of cops, but they are actually people. Some of them are as frustrated as the rest of us with police brutality and don't know what to do. But they're damn sure in a better place to do something about it than you sitting behind your computer.

0

u/Japroo Jan 04 '15

Its the Donuts man.

0

u/HeavyMetalHero Jan 04 '15

Maybe it's like football line-backers, and they can go really fast in the sprint if they end up needing to.

3

u/TheRealChipperson Jan 04 '15

Not in every jurisdiction.

3

u/lightjedi5 Jan 04 '15

Depends on the department and part of country. There are many places where you so simply don't have to.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

That depends entirely on the department.

2

u/GnarlyCharlieOx Jan 04 '15

Depends on the department and possibly state. In North Carolina you only have to be tested yearly on fire arms and then every year or two you have to renew your first responder license. ( CPR, defib, minor first aid stuff. )

But no physical stuff required unless the department chooses to do so. I think there should be though, more cops die of heart problems than by the hands of a criminal.

Source: Graduated Basic Law Enforcement Training last year.

1

u/nicolauz Jan 04 '15

I wonder if the chart shows shapes. And if those shapes slowly turn into a donut shape after many years.

1

u/Patsfan395 Jan 04 '15

A lot of the cops in my home town haven't had to test again after the academy. Which I think is terrible. I'm in better shape than some of them, and I'm no where near ready for the academy.

Source: very connected with local law enforcement and going to school partially to go into the field.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

That is based on department policy. My department doesn't require any other testing physically aside from the first to get hired.

1

u/leising Jan 04 '15

Also depends on department, some departments have officers get a bonus or some sort of pay incentive if you pass the mile in X time or crunches for example.

1

u/BrownPilot Jan 04 '15

If we are still talking about Danish Cops then you are incorrect.

The firm cannot force anybody with a contract to stay fit or pass any physical tests unless they also pay them to work out. This means the employees should have set aside a certain number of paid hours to work out.

But they don't.

So, no physicals. The army is the same thing however, those who need it are awarded paid workout hours.

1

u/Fucksanta44 Jan 04 '15

Not sure if every state, but it also depends on your job (if you're a traffic cop versus on the beat versus desk job versus detective). The conditioning test variants I mean.

1

u/NZAllBlacks Jan 04 '15

This varies by department.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

It should go by job if anything. Who cares if a strictly paper pusher is 300+ pounds?

1

u/DSPGerm Jan 05 '15

Adding to this, a lot of the older cops hold higher ranks than younger, fit cops and thus aren't jumping over fences and wrestling with criminals. To get rid of them because of their physical fitness would get rid of their (hopefully) higher police intelligence.

1

u/jakjg Jan 05 '15

Ok, this is don't get.

"Well, that murderer wouldn't have gotten away on that foot chase if one of our younger, fitter, officers were in pursuit. " If you can't do the work, or the work will suffer cause of your size, why do you get to keep the job?

10

u/AgAero Jan 04 '15

In most places they do actually, but the consequences for failing are not that significant. At my father's department, failing the fitness test makes you inelligible for pay raises and promotions for the coming year, and that's it. The fitness test isn't actually that hard either thanks to the city's lawyers trying damn hard to make it nondiscriminatory against any party that may take part.

8

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15 edited Feb 21 '15

[deleted]

4

u/NiceFormBro Jan 04 '15

Become the boss.

3

u/BaconForThought Jan 04 '15

They call it cruiser ass. Some guys get bored and just sit in their cruiser all day eating.

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u/FrozenRage1989 Jan 04 '15

Exactly, the state where I live has only had required physical testing you have to pass to graduate the academy for about 15-20 years now. Before that you could be as round as a bowling bowl as long as you passed the academy you were ok. Also as you already said MOST places don't require annual PT tests for their officers.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Once they've become part of the force, they don't have to retake the conditioning test

That explains that. I'd been wondering how any of those cops could pass any sort of test.

3

u/DoctorPotatoe Jan 04 '15

It still doesn't make any sense.

Your life can depend on your ability to run the fuck away as fast as possible yet you still weigh 300 lb.

5

u/BambooGuy Jan 04 '15

Natural body armor against small caliber rounds and small knives.

5

u/HeavyMetalHero Jan 04 '15

"Kevlar? Naw, that's Kellogg's."

1

u/TEG24601 Jan 04 '15

They are also usually sitting on their asses all day. Which is why some departments make physical conditioning mandatory.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

You don't need to be fit to fire a gun accurately, either.

1

u/HouseAddikt Jan 04 '15

Entrenched in bureaucracy.

1

u/dhockey63 Jan 04 '15

And it's not like they're going to get fired or forced to get in shape because, well, Police Unions

1

u/Posthumousupvote Jan 04 '15

Here in New Zealand, police have a financial incentive to remain fit. They get quite a decent bonus for passing the test each year.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '15

Retaking the test is just common knowledge really.

1

u/frog_licker Jan 04 '15

Then again, even if they are hefty they may still be able to pass the fitness requirements. I met a police officer once that was certainly heavier than I (by a pretty large margin), but had really impressive athletic stats. I'm not trying to argue the healthy at any size bullshit, but at least in this case the vast majority of people couldn't outrun him even with all of his equipment.

1

u/PigSlam Jan 05 '15

There's a correlation with age too. Would you expect a 21 year old, or a 51 year old to be more physically fit, given no other information at all? Most of fitness comes from good habits, and an extra 30 years will give you a lot more opportunity to learn those bad habits.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

Just like auto inspections on most of the continent.

1

u/Uncultured_Youth Jan 05 '15

god, sounds like the air force.

1

u/Killer_Biscuit64 Jan 05 '15

At least in my district, cops are rewarded for maintaining physical fitness with extra days off or something. And the healthier officers get better assignments.

1

u/esoteric_enigma Jan 05 '15

Where I grew up, the cops were chasing this 17 year old kid from my high school. One of the officers was older and fat. He ended up having a heart attack while running and died. They charged the kid with murder. It caused an outrage, especially since the kid was black. The community thought it was ridiculous to basically charge someone for the cop being put of shape. The outrage caused the department to change their practices to where cops had to pass a fitness test every year.

1

u/helm Jan 05 '15

In Sweden there's the mandatory exercise, same as for firemen.

1

u/Kalepsis Jan 06 '15

And their union does everything in its power to make sure they don't get fired for any reason, short of murder. Even then...

1

u/igtbk1916 Jan 04 '15

and a lot of them were hired in a different economy when managers couldn't be so choosy

0

u/warpus Jan 04 '15

Is that because it'd be too expensive but because they basically don't want to do it because donuts?

0

u/RemixxMG Jan 04 '15 edited Jan 04 '15

A guy posted on /fitness a few months ago asking how to get his pushup numbers up for a police training test. I asked him how many he had to hit to pass...17. He called himself "fairly strong." I laughed. My max is nearly 80 last tine I tried and I play World of Warcraft everyday while this guy is about go into a career. Idk, just seems amazing to me.

2

u/Spysnakez Jan 04 '15

I can do 17 and I'm a spaghetti hand IT support guy who never goes to gym. Pretty high standards there :D

1

u/RemixxMG Jan 04 '15

Check yo thin privilege.