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NEW JERSEY COPS n MAY 2014
How long has it been since your last PT?
n BY BILL FICHTER
We as police officers have a common bond established
through shared experiences and training. This starts at the
police academy. We’ve all been there and done that; it’s our first
step for entering the job after the hiring process. Although the
academies are in different locations throughout the state, they
do share a common curriculum as mandated by the Police
Training Commission. Included in this is physical training, also
known as PT.
For many recruits, PT is often the most difficult part of the
training program. It is often met with fear and apprehension, as
they don’t know what to expect or haven’t properly prepared
themselves for the training program. On the other hand, it’s
where the bonds of brotherhood start to grow. I’m sure that we
all have stories from the academy, and a lot of them come from
the PT sessions. I know in my case, our first gym was in a garage
bay where every morning we had to push out a fire truck before
starting our workout. It’s where we first got to know each other
as well, pushing each other through the workouts and being our
own worst critics. The competition was serious here with everyone trying to outdo each other for the awards at graduation.
The end result was that we were in the best shape of our lives
when we graduated the academy. Unfortunately, many of us
have stopped our physical fitness training. Who doesn’t remember saying at least once when the academy is over, “I’m never
going to PT again?”
We have to remember that the academy is where we are first
introduced to the rigors of the job, and it is up to us to continue our education and keep up with our training.
Physical fitness training is part of that. We’ve all sat through
the mandatory in-service training blocks, but when was the last
time any one of us actually went out to PT with the departme