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Are NYPD Officers Getting Fatter Than They Used To?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 9, 2012
Modified Jan 9, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 9, 2012
Modified Jan 9, 2012
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Are NYPD officers fatter now than they were in days gone by? The always entertaining cop message board The Rant (which we last visited when they were harshing on Ellen Barkin) this week has an interesting debate on just how thin the thin blue line actually is. To get things rolling one poster evocatively wonders: "Is a new radio code needed for this new breed of overfed, ticket-writing zombies, like '10-40G'—gun belt broke?"
The general consensus among the posters is that cops aren't particularly fatter now then they were before ("Utter nonsense--cops used to drop dead after retirement in the 70s"), but that the job does not lend itself to staying fit ("It's impact. They put these cops in impact neighborhoods where the only food is fried chicken, Chinese food, and pizza. They are told to stand on the corner, and eat on post. The only exercise they get is walking to and from post."), which sounds about right to what we've seen.
Still, the Ranters also offer a few solutions for how they would fix the problem given their druthers—we particularly like the one that recommends regular BMI checks with harsh penalties for those who fail. Why, as another poster puts it—besides the fact firemen work out on duty—should our finest be less fit than our bravest? We reached out to the NYPD press office to ask if about the general health of their officers and what the average BMI of NYPD cops were. (We'll let you know if we hear back.)
Anyway, since we're paying attention to what random people on the Internet say, what do you think? Anecdotally do you feel the NYPD appears more or less fit now than in days gone by?
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