Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 31 - Public Safety › Part 301 - Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training Professional Certification Policy and Procedures › Chapter 8 - Physical Fitness Program › Rule 31-301-8.3 - Procedures

Current through June 25, 2024
1. The fitness program is a part of the
				probationary period activities which lead to the eventual professional
				certification of the law enforcement officer.
A. The program actually begins upon the
				officer's date of hire. Officers must be deemed physically fit to
				satisfactorily meet the employment guidelines (See
"Law Enforcement
				Officer Applicant Evaluation, Employment and Certification Procedures")
.
The "Law Enforcement Basic Training Packet"
contains a medical
				evaluation section which should be utilized as an employment physical
				evaluation. This section provides the candidate, agency head and academy
				director information on the candidate's potential to successfully pass the
				fitness test and more importantly, successfully perform all the duties of a law
				enforcement officer.
B. The packet
				contains a list of enforcement duties and a sample of the minimum activity
				required to pass the fitness test. A copy is normally included as a part of the
				academy registration packet.
1. The agency
				head and candidate must be aware of the requirements. Agencies are encouraged
				to administer the fitness test events to their prospective employees to provide
				additional information on the individual's fitness ability.
2. The agency head must also ensure that the
				physician who conducts the physical examination is aware of the physical
				fitness conditioning requirements of the basic course, the duties and working
				conditions of law enforcement officers.
3. The agency head must ensure that
				candidates consult their physician and begin any needed exercise and/or diet
				plan in ample time prior to reporting to the academy. The fitness program will
				markedly improve fitness levels, but cannot overcome individuals who are
				profoundly unfit.
C. Each
				Academy Director is ultimately responsible for the safety and welfare of the
				law enforcement officers given over to their care while enrolled in a training
				program. The training packet contains key information which the Director must
				consider in the decision process as to whether an individual can safely
				participate in training. The Director may delegate the authority to some other
				qualified academy official to review the applications and enroll students, but
				the responsibility for the same cannot be delegated.
1. The academy director (or designee) shall
				evaluate each application prior to admittance to the academy as follows:
a. Memorandum - This sheet is intended to be
				read by the applicant, physician and the applicant's agency head. This sheet
				may be discarded upon receipt of a completed training packet.
b. Information for the Physician - These
				sheets contain information for the physician about the duties and working
				conditions of law enforcement officers. In addition to these duties, page iii
				provides a description of the physical fitness conditioning program and the
				requirements for successful completion of the training program. This sheet may
				also be discarded upon receipt of a completed training packet.
c. Medical Examination Report - This section
				of the training packet consists of three parts. The first part includes the
"Health Questionnaire"
to be completed by the law enforcement
				applicant. The second part contains the
"Physical Fitness
				Examination"
to be completed by the attending physician. All items in
				the physical examination section must be marked, and the EKG results must be
				noted. The
"Physician's Affidavit"
must be completed by printing
				in ink or typing the physician's name and by having the physician sign and date
				the affidavit in the appropriate spaces.
1.
				Health Questionnaire (pages 1 and 2
)
- This section must be
				completed by the applicant. All required entries/spaces must have a response,
				missing entries will result in rejection of the packet. Any question numbered 1
				through 56 answered "yes" must have an explanation to include a list of the
				physicians consulted.
2. Physical
				Fitness Examination (pages 3 through 5) - This part of the training packet is
				to be completed by the attending physician. All appropriate spaces must be
				marked. The reviewer of the form shall check that:
a. Height/Weight has been annotated and the
				doctor has marked either satisfactory or excessive/deficient. If the
				applicant's weight exceeds the threshold weight values to the degree that a
				reasonable person should know to a moral certainty that the officer's
				performance/safety would be adversely affected, the condition must be corrected
				before admittance.
b. Questions one
				(1) through fifteen (15) are marked. It should be clear that the officer has no
				abnormality or other problem that would adversely affect performance and/or
				safety. If the doctor states that the individual is able to perform law
				enforcement duties with some exception or qualifier, the condition must be
				rectified in writing before the applicant may be admitted.
c. Physician's Affidavit (page 5) this
				section must have the physician's name printed in ink or typed, his/her
				signature and the date the examination was given. The date of the examination
				must coincide within one month of the applicant's date of signature under the
				applicant's affidavit and liability waiver and must be within six months of the
				start of training.
d. Salary
				Information (page 6) - This page contains a brief explanation of policy on the
				reimbursement of training expenses. Check to ensure that the form is either
				completed or that documentation of the officer's salary is attached. Attach
				proof of high school diploma/GED and NCIC report to this page also.
e. Law Enforcement Agency's Affidavit (page
				7) - This section must be signed by the head of the agency/department or
				someone with authority to sign in his/her name. The signee's name must be
				printed in ink or typed, and the affidavit must be signed and dated in the
				appropriate spaces.
f. Applicant's
				Affidavit & Injury Liability Waiver (page 7) - This section must be read
				and signed by the applicant trainee. The applicant must have signed and dated
				the affidavit and liability waiver in the appropriate spaces.
g. Application for Training/Personal
				Information Summary (page 8) -This sheet contains administrative information of
				use to the academies and to the Board. Check to ensure all items have been
				completed or marked N/A (not applicable) and that all dates requested are
				entered. The page has space provided to attach a photograph of the applicant
				for identification purposes. Although a professional photograph is not
				required, the applicant's photograph must be a recent picture of such clarity
				and finish as to allow immediate identification of the applicant.
3. If the director is unsure of
				the applicant's ability to safely participate in the training program, the
				director may refer the candidate to another physician selected by the academy
				director. The referral shall be at the expense of the employing agency and/or
				applicant. After the completion of this examination, if the director decides to
				refuse to admit the applicant, the director shall contact the applicant in
				writing.
4. The director shall
				provide the Board both medical examinations and a copy of the applicant's
				notification. The Board will evaluate the medical information, review the
				academy director's decision and offer the applicant a hearing to determine
				whether the officer meets the medical fitness requirement established in the
				LEOTP. In making this decision, the Board may elect a medical review panel to
				further evaluate the candidate's fitness for duty.
D. The academy director
				shall develop and implement a physical training program that stresses safety
				and optimizes the potential of students to pass the fitness test.
1. The safety and health of candidates shall
				be the foremost concern of the academy director and staff. The program must be
				designed to gradually increase performance levels. Exercise periods should be
				scheduled to minimize the impact of weather extremes (particular care must be
				taken during summer months to avoid heat-related injuries). Exercise periods
				must begin with appropriate warm-up exercises and end with cool-down
				activities.
2. The academy director
				must develop contingency plans and procedures to ensure adequate
				communications, transportation and first aid coverage are provided during all
				phases of exercise periods. In addition to these requirements, plans for
				running on public streets must include appropriate visibility markings (e.g.,
				reflective vests/tape, traffic cone flashlights, etc.) and procedures for
				interaction with traffic.
3. The
				fitness program will be administered throughout the training cycle. Fitness
				training shall be conducted as a group activity no less than three times
				weekly. Students shall participate in all physical fitness training unless
				excused in writing by a medical doctor. Students are expected to perform at the
				pace set by the conditioning instructor. Performance of students shall be
				monitored and students who are not able to meet the pace will be given
				counseling and extra conditioning periods. The academy shall designate the time
				and location where individuals enrolled in the program may conduct additional
				fitness training.
E.
				Testing and evaluation of fitness shall be conducted by the administration of
				scheduled fitness tests.
1. Following academy
				registration activities, the first physical fitness test shall be administered.
				Each student must demonstrate an acceptable level of fitness by achieving a
				score of not less than fifty percent (50%) on each event. Candidates failing to
				achieve this score shall be dismissed from the academy. The agency head shall
				be promptly notified of the student's failure to attain an acceptable fitness
				score.
2. Students who fail to
				achieve seventy percent (70%) on each event at the scheduled fitness tests will
				be counseled and their agency head notified of their performance. The agency
				head must advise the academy of their decision to continue training for their
				officers. Students will be offered three attempts to pass the final fitness
				test. Students who fail all three attempts will not graduate from the academy.
				The test shall be administered as follows:
a.
				Students shall be informed of the test date/time at least five working days in
				advance.
b. The academy director
				shall ensure that adequate staff members are available to administer the test.
				The director shall ensure all safety procedures are enforced. Staff members
				shall observe the number of repetitions and elapsed time.
3. Standards of Scoring Conversion - The
				candidate's performance on each event shall be matched with that event's
				standard sheet for the score. If the number of repetitions or performance of
				the candidate falls between values on the chart, the candidate must find an
				interval between the higher and lower performance that he/she received. If the
				performance falls in an interval lower half, the lower number is used. However,
				if the performance falls at half or more than half, the next whole number is
				selected.
4. Event
I
is the
"Agility Run".
The agility course consists of two parallel
				lines on a floor separated by thirty feet (30'). One line is designated as the
"Start/Finish"
line, and the other, the
"End
				Boundary"
line. Both of these lines have a twelve inch (12") cone
				(traffic pylon) placed on them. In addition, two other cones are to be placed
				equidistant between the lines.
a. The
				candidate begins from a flat, prone position with hands on the "start/finish"
				line with his/her legs straight and feet together. When signaled to start the
				student arises and begins a thirty foot (30') sprint to the "end boundary"
				line, stops (placing at least one foot over the end line) and sprints back to
				the original starting line. The student immediately negotiates a left turn
				around the cone on the starting line, and commences to zig-zag in a figure
				eight fashion around the cones up to the "end boundary" line, then zig-zagging
				back to the "start/finish" line. Once across the student sprints straight to
				the "end boundary line" and returns.
b. Each candidate is allowed two (2) attempts
				at the run to record his or her best time. Any mistake will result in a
				restart. In each of the two attempts, the candidate is allowed (2) mistakes.
				Upon the third mistake, no time will be recorded for that event.
c. A candidate's score in this event will be
				determined by using the
"Agility Run Standards"
sheet.
5.
Event II
is the
"Push-Up"
test. The push-ups are done in a two (2) minute time
				period. The proper push-up position and form for the student is hands on the
				ground, feet together and arms fully extended. No other part of the body may
				touch the ground. The candidate shall commence in the exercise by placing his
				or her chest on the instructor's fist. If the student rests during the two (2)
				minutes, he or she may arch their back up or down, but must resume a proper
				push-up position before continuing with the exercise. The instructor may inform
				the candidate when the time remaining reaches the one minute mark and the
				thirty (30) second mark.
a. If any of the
				above rules are not followed by a candidate, the instructor will terminate the
				exercise and grant the previously completed number of push-ups to the
				candidate.
b. A candidate's score
				in this event will be determined by using the
"Push-Up Standards"
sheet.
6.
Event
				III
is the
"1.5 Mile Run".
Candidates will run a measured
				one and a half (1½) mile course. Candidates may walk during brief
				periods of rest.
a. The one and a half
				(1½) mile run may only be attempted once by each candidate.
b. A candidate's score in this event will be
				determined by using
the "1.5 Mile Run Standards"
sheet.
7. Candidates must achieve a
				passing score in each event to successfully complete the fitness test. Failure
				of any one of the events would constitute failure of the entire test.