The New York Police Department (NYPD) in the United States has reduced its requirement for new recruits yet again, with Chief Juanita Holmes telling the New York Post that the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) run at the police school is being phased out. Since then, the move has stirred debate among department officials, with many weighing in on the ostensibly controversial move.
According to Holmes, the change will make it easier for female applicants to join the NYPD. Incidentally, this comes just months after the agency substantially modified its police fitness exam in response to a record-breaking surge of retirements. Furthermore, the head of training has emphasized that the timed run, which men and women must complete in 14 minutes and 21 seconds, is not required to become an officer.
“No cop on patrol runs a mile and a half…No one’s chasing anyone a mile and a half. Not to mention every day in the gym you’re doing a mile and a half (as part of training)”, said Holmes to the Post. She added that this requirement holds back otherwise qualified candidates, particularly women.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and now-retired Chief Kenneth Corey were opposed to the action
However, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and now-retired Chief Kenneth Corey were opposed to the action and brought it up with Mayor Eric Adams, who apparently sided with Holmes. As a result, the only physical fitness criterion for joining the NYPD is the Job Standard Test (JST), a multi-step course that must be completed in four minutes and 28 seconds.
Notably, the NYPD has not replied to specific concerns concerning the requirement in question, as well as the decision to repeal it, and has stated that the JST fits the state’s training criteria.
“To date, the NYPD is in compliance with the physical fitness standards set by the (state’s Municipal Police Training Council). The requirements to complete the daily physical training and tactics of our Police Academy, including running nearly every day, remains unchanged,” reported the Post.
Several people have questioned the fitness of the cops
Several people have questioned the fitness of the cops in the NYPD as a result of this. “Cops are already out of shape. What’s going to be coming in here now?” said one police officer from Manhattan.
While speaking to the Post, Eugene O’Donnell, professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former NYPD cop, blamed the move on the “defund the cops” campaign.
He added, “They’re the ones that did this, and they’re the ones who are going to have to live with the consequences of a department where the utterly unfit are all that’s left in the pool.” O’Donnell also told the Post how this decision is not driven by research but “sheer desperation” and how there is nothing but “disadvantages to public safety from this decision.”
Similarly, City Councilman Robert Holden expressed concern about New York making it too simple to become a police officer and proposed giving recruits extra time to complete the run rather than removing it totally. “I think there’s more women that are fit than men! I’ve seen cops that are not fit and they can’t run more than one block – they are at a distinct disadvantage if they’re not fit,” said Holden, as per The Post.
This comes after a six-foot wall inside the Police Academy gym was replaced with a chain-link fence that is supposed to be simpler to climb, according to a report that quoted a cellphone video showing many out-of-shape cops attempting and failing to scale the barrier.