Time Spent Working in Custody Influences Work Sample Test Battery Performance of Deputy Sheriffs Compared to Recruits.

Robert Lockie,Joseph Dulla,Robin Orr,Matthew Moreno,J Dawes

doi:10.3390/ijerph16071108

Abstract

This study determined the influence of years spent working in custody on fitness measured by a state-specific testing battery (Work Sample Test Battery; WSTB) in deputy sheriffs. Retrospective analysis was conducted on one patrol school class (51 males, 13 females) divided into three groups depending on time spent working in custody: DS24 (<24 months; n = 20); DS2547 (25–47 months; n = 23); and DS48+ (≥48 months; n = 21). These groups were compared to a recruit class (REC; 219 males, 34 females) in the WSTB, which comprised five tasks completed for time: 99-yard (90.53-m) obstacle course (99OC); 165-pound (75-kg) dummy drag; six-foot (1.83-m) chain link fence (CLF) and solid wall (SW) climb; and 500-yard (457.2-m) run (500R). A univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) (controlling for sex and age) with Bonferroni post hoc determined significant between-group differences. DS48+ were slower in the 99OC compared to the REC (p = 0.007) and performed the CLF and SW slower than all groups (p ≤ 0.012). DS24, DS2547, and DS48+ were all slower than REC in the 500R (p ≤ 0.002). Physical training should be implemented to maintain fitness and job-specific task performance in deputy sheriffs working custody, especially considering the sedentary nature of this work.

Highlights

Law enforcement can be a physically demanding profession; during a shift, on-duty officers may be required to drive vehicles [1], pursue suspects [2,3,4], clear obstacles [5], discharge firearms [6,7], and exert force and apprehend offenders [5,7,8,9]
The results from this study indicated that deputy sheriffs who had worked in custody facilities for longer periods of time had poorer performance in Work Sample Test Battery (WSTB) tasks
Deputy sheriffs who worked for 48 months or less were slower in the 500-yard run (500R) compared to recruits

Summary

Introduction

Law enforcement can be a physically demanding profession; during a shift, on-duty officers may be required to drive vehicles [1], pursue suspects [2,3,4], clear obstacles [5], discharge firearms [6,7], and exert force and apprehend offenders [5,7,8,9]. Recruits must undergo specific training before they can become law enforcement officers (LEOs). The academy setting is where recruits are trained to tolerate the physical rigors of the profession while learning the required procedures and skills necessary for policing [5,10,11,12]. Most agencies have set standards that must be achieved by recruits when they are tested in job-specific tasks and physical fitness [2,12]. Failure to achieve these standards will generally mean a recruit will be separated from their academy and they will not graduate to become an LEO [12]. Public Health 2019, 16, 1108; doi:10.3390/ijerph16071108 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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Conclusion