Focus on Officer Wellness: Physical Demands of Patrol

Abstract

The physical job demands of sworn peace officers assigned to patrol duties can be challenging to quantify.A starting point is to recognize perceived versus actual documented and researched demands. For example, a foot pursuit may “feel” like it occurred over great distances due to its intensity, when, in actuality, it was under 100 yards.Luckily, close to 40 years of research, interviews with patrol officers, review of actual cases, and trend and pattern identification, along with input from subject matter experts, can provide guidance. The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (CA POST) and other agencies have conducted this type of research since 1979, with the goal of identifying the physical skills and physiological constructs exhibited by patrol officers