Chicagoist: Police Union Gripes About Fitness

tamalechica

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:42:44 -0600

City Cop, I agree about "your job should never be your life." Life should be defined by who we are, not our jobs. Our work should reflect who we are, not the other way around. Because I do mostly project work, I often work odd hours. It can be intense at times but then it frees me up to have time with my loved ones. A dear friend of mine was out of town for three weeks (and a baby-f) so having this flexibilty came in handy when he got back. :-) It's also one reason I can be with friends in the middle of the week, since sometimes my 'weekend' is 'whenever' I can take it. It's a huge change from my previous "live to work" schedule and it's supported me in being much healthier and happier.

City Cop

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:41:16 -0600

Tamalechica...I enjoyed my dinner with my girlfriend and another couple who are friends of ours. Time off is great, I always look forward to it. Your job should never be your life....enjoy your time with your family and friends....that is the main thing.

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:37:09 -0600

City Cop, Hope you had a good dinner with your friends. This was mostly a working weekend for me which is why I was online so much. I'll be around my usual haunts (1222/1223) with friends Wednesday. That's usually where I am when I'm on the South Side.

ljpljpljp

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:46:10 -0600

That one stud who kicked the crap out of that bartender...what's he doing now? He looked to be in good shape despite his girth. Maybe he could be the role model for the new CPD fitness program.

ljpljpljp

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:45:24 -0600

That one stud who kicked the crap out of that bartender...what's he doing now? He looked to be in good shape despite his girth. Maybe he could be the role model for the new CPD fitness program.

City Cop

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:59:15 -0600

Tamalechica - Going on 14 otj. 10 in Patrol (including tactical for many)and now 4 in D Division. I will be signing off the computer now. Today is RDO and it is time for early dinner with friends...far away from Western Avenue because of southside Irish parade! Enjoy your weekend.

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:43:29 -0600

City Cop, I haven't heard the bleed thing in awhile, but yes, it's so true. How many years otj do you have? South in patrol to detective or did you do any other gigs? I'm nosy because it's a small world out there. Turns out that one of my old high school friends (a musican) worked in a non-patrol division with a good friend of mine. I found this out after mentioning my lunch with the wife of the musician turned cop. I'm a north sider... been so my whole life, but I've got South Side friends and am there somewhat infrequently.

City Cop

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:22:05 -0600

You are right again as far as the news goes..."If it bleeds it leads". Feelgood stories don't sell papers, shock and awe stories do. Oh well, you can't win them all. I work South, I have my entire career.

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:03:28 -0600

City Cop, Good for you that you work out for your health. Everyone (I'm not just talking about people in public service) is better off when they take responsibility for their own health since usually people feel better when they are in better health. My friend that was in patrol does a lot of walking on his days off, and still gets regular exercise because he is concious of the consequences of not doing so. As for the negativity, some people are just down on certain types of people or professions. A degree of it is fueled by the way the general media gets news stories. A business contact of mine was the news director for one of the major radio stations here, and they got their news story leads by listening to the police scanners. He admitted that this created a basis of negativity after I called him on his not wanting to do a success story about Chicago high school girls involving technology, business and social skill building. If the successful, joyful and enthusiasic learning event instead was plagued by violence or tragedy, then they would have covered it. Another media contact of mine who gives seminars to news reporters agreed that the 'feel good' story would have been a hard one to pitch given the newsroom way of getting stories (versus getting a feature article done). Focusing so much on the negative also includes focusing on Abbate, Finnegan, SOS, etc. but not on people like Jose Vargas. It leaves little or no room for daily news reporting of all good, whether it is the general public or cops finding lost children, dealing with the families during a tragedy, coming to the rescue when a potentially violent person is threatening others, etc. Do you work north, west or south?

City Cop

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:05:34 -0600

Tamalechica I know where you, and your friend, are coming from. Don't get me wrong here, I am not complaining. I love being the Police (I am a Detective by the way). I like what I do, unfortunately these days it is harder and harder for various reasons. I'm sure when the other persons on this site get up in the morning they will slam me and tell me to quit if I don't like the schedule, etc., etc.,. In the long run I know it is a noble profession. As a matter of fact, I know that it is "The greatest show on earth". By the way, I do try to work out when I can and it is not because of what people say about me or my profession...I do it for my health. Thanks again for your civil comments. Good night.

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:21:29 -0600

City Cop, for most of my adult life the only time I dealt with cops was when they were either handling a car accident or handing me their autograph so I could contribute to city revenues via a traffic ticket. Then due to many serendipitous events, I've come to know several, in patrol and one detective. The detective had been on the job for some 20+ years and worked the west side as well as the homicide division. The guy had a few extra pounds but was more "stocky" versus fat. When I found out he was actually younger than I was, I freaked because the guy looked 20 years older than me. He used to work 3 days in a row at times (without sleep) and then after they did what had to be done, he'd come home. He said it was worse when he only worked homicides. It made complaining about my then 70 hour workweeks seem rather pathetic. Somehow, he still managed to get the to gym on his days off.

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:20:58 -0600

tamalechica

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:20:35 -0600

Scooter Libbby

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:31:30 -0600

There's a 400 pound sergeant working behind the desk at the Rogers Park station on Clark St. Of course, they'll probably hide him in the back after reading this. There has also been a 500 pound sheriff's deputy at the Branch 29 courthouse at Belmont & Western. I haven't seen him for a while, but I was told they hide him in the back so the public can't see him, it was way too embarrassing!

City Cop

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:24:42 -0600

Tamalechica...you are %100 correct. I know exactely what you are talking about. I just didn't want to get into further arguements regarding the schedule. The scenario you are refering to is in regard to the Patrol Division. The officers are required to stick around until the Detectives/States Attorneys no longer need them. Now imagine if you are the Detective assigned to the case, it gets worse. We have 48 hours to charge and get an offender in front of a judge or release the subject. Well, we just can't say "Ok, shift is over, I'm going home now". The Detectives have to stay and work the case as long as it takes, whether that is 24 hours 36 hours or whatever. I am not making this up because I have done it. Thanks for your comment.

tamalechica

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:28:23 -0600

City Cop, you're talking about the 6 day on, 2 day rdo schedule, but as you know, that's only for regular time. One of my cop friends was driving back to the station close to the end of shift when a guy comes running out to him and tells him his business was robbed by armed robbers. After calling it in, he arrests one of the two robbers and the other cops get the other robber. They also recovered the business owner's money. For doing that job, he ended up staying another five hours working on paperwork, dealing with the area detectives, and then the state's attorney's office. The only reason he didn't end up working even longer was that he never had to fire his weapon. Anyway you cut it, a 13 hour day in a 6 day workweek is rough.

City Cop

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:04:18 -0600

Ok quicksloth, you say that you have never met any decent cops, fair enough. I can honestly say that I have never met any corrupt ones (that I know of). I don't know Abbate, Finnegan, the SOS boys, Jefferson Tap, etc. What point does that prove? None. Anyway, I thought this topic was about physical fitness, which I am all for as I stated earlier. My earlier point was that the Feds get an hour to work out everyday and I think our schedule is more grueling. That was all. I do realize that Police Officers are not the only persons working shift work (belive me I know because I did it before I got on the job).

City Cop

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:03:48 -0600

fed up

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:34:54 -0600

i will agree with leo that the police should be able to live where they please.But if the city makes being in shape a job reqirement. I do think allowing for gym time and other financial incentives would have to go along with that. It has been east to rip the cops lately they need a pr firm.

Ward Up

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:18:07 -0600

Someone above mentioned all the "cop hate" in this thread. I don't see cop hate. I simply see people who feel, like me, that this whining by fat cops is pathetic. I sure DON'T support these lazy chubsters. Meanwhile, please note that most CPD officers are NOT whining about these incentives.

quicksloth

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:31:27 -0600

Well City Cop, you (That is, by association) reap what you sow. While I assume there are plenty of decent cops in the city who are doing their best every day, I've never actually met any personally. Instead, I've dealt with too many thugs who hide behind their badges. Thugs who act capriciously and talk a lot of yang, act like tough guys, because they know they can crack you over the head for looking the wrong way and that you can do nothing about it. Over the years, I've developed a complete distrust of the police in this city. As for scheduling, plenty of people work different hours week to week, have more than one job and off kilter hours. Many if not most of them get paid less than your average cop and none have the perk of being able to violently vent their frustrations on any random mope they set eyes on and get away with it.

City Cop

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:58:12 -0600

Yikes quicksloth, I didn't mean to touch a nerve. All I meant by crazy schedule was working 6 days in a row and being off 2. That is not a fun schedule whether it is done on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd watch. If you have never worked 6 on and off 2 try it sometime, it is a real bear.

fed up

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:46:56 -0600

I agree cops should be in half way decent shape, but so should the garbage man then (he wont get injured as easy)and the school teacher (thier examples to our children) And the alderman, and anyone who has a city contract,CTA bus drivers could lose some weight(save on fuel costs)Welfare reciepiants should be in shape,(being obeses makes getting a job harder)All doctors and nurses should be slim. I say if your fat the only job you should be allowed to have is telemarketer.

quicksloth

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:45:28 -0600

For all their talk, too many Chicago cops are just cowardly whiners. How do I manage to work out and eat right while working and going to school? No one pays me to do it, that's for sure. "Crazy schedule"? What does that even mean? Like no one else works second or third shifts? If you can't get your fat ass to the gym or lay off the Italian beef with extra juice, that's because YOU haven't made your health a priority. It's no one else's fault. Now, if being effective in your job didn't depend on being in decent shape, I'd say hey, go get that extra slice of deep dish and have a nice coronary. In reality though, being a cop or firefighter should entail being fit. Therefore, if you can't meet a fairly high standard of fitness, you should be tossed out on your ear. Then you can go work security at WalMart, eat all the fried junk you want and stroke out at 45. If rigorous standards were mandatory (Physicals and fitness testing quarterly?), then I could go along with on the clock physical training. But leave it to the lazy clods in blue to actually work out hard during that free hour? Leave them to their own devices to cook healthy meals in their taxpayer funded kitchens? More likely you'll have packs of pigs hanging out for an hour every day, doing nothing but laughing about the dumb mopes they harrassed during their other seven hours on the clock.

City Cop

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:52:22 -0600

I am all for higher physical fitness standards for us. Just so you guys know, Federal Agents (like J-Fed used to be) are given 1 hour a day workout time while on the clock. They also don't have the crazy schedule CPD has.

magilla gorilla

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:33:36 -0600

come on, daley needs bodyguards. get real

leomemorial

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:08:02 -0600

sorry. my grammar and typing sucks tonight...

leomemorial

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:07:00 -0600

Vested interest? Cook County allows their deputies to reside outside the state of illinois. Besides, our city is in financial dires right now. Why is it that our Mayor needs THREE driver shuttling him around when he can take the EL, etc just like us. Why does Ald. Burke need cops to guard his house after he supposedly make a racial slur? (document on http://housedick.googlepages.com/)

leomemorial

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:06:08 -0600

tamalechica

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:44:45 -0600

"maybe they should lay off the beef sangwiches and deep dish." I've known cops that hardly eat the stuff, and do watch their diet and try to excercise regularly. Unfortunately the really overweight ones are for obvious reasons really hard not to miss. The body armor also makes them look bigger than they are. When I saw a friend of mine without the armor (during an off duty lunch) it looked like he lost 25 pounds. Still, excess fat especially on those who are very overweight is hard to miss, and puts their own health at risk, not to mention the chance of success if they have to run after someone.

tamalechica

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:37:54 -0600

"It's also interesting that while fitness is mentioned, the addition of giving them CURRENT tools to do their jobs efficiently was not mentioned." It is an interesting point. I've heard Weis has been making his rounds to each district, but I'd really like to hear that he went on patrol with officers in each district to see what being on the street here is really like. Those tools might be more forthcoming with some direct observation, versus hearing about things from the upper chains of command.

Ingrid

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:35:29 -0600

I will never understand why cities even allow fat cops on the force. Years ago, when I was still in high school I was with my boyfriend at a local mall. We heard an old lady scream and saw a man run off with her purse. My boyfriend ran after him while I called the police. When the police go there...they were FAT! They could not catch the guy.They were literally sweating their asses off after less than a minute. My boyfriend ran after him for almost 20 minutes. The thief tried to scale up a fence and he couldn't make it. But these cops actually had to get into their cars and follow. My boyfriend was chasing the guy on foot and finally cornered him in a park. I have never understood the value of a fat, out of shape cop. I would think it would be a job requirement to be weight and height proportionate. They make those requirements for airline personnel. I mean, what is the importance of being thin when all you do is pass out sodas on an airplane? Wouldn't it make much more sense to require that our fricking COPS be in shape?

jmagic

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:08:53 -0600

maybe they should lay off the beef sangwiches and deep dish. though i do see a few cops eat at Penny's near my place and they seem to be in relatively decent shape. i'm all for a fitter police force ... i'd rather they make it mandatory to reach certain goals, but that might be demanding too much. i mean, it's bad enough that they can't seem to solve homicides. i don't want that blamed on having to spend more time at the gym.

happygrl

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:39:42 -0600

Maybe if the cops worked out regularly they'd be less likely to beat up barmaids or other helpless citizens. Exercise is good for stress. For that matter, maybe Drew Peterson's wives would still be alive if he worked out his aggressions out via exercise rather than on them. Allegedly, that is. He only allegedly did those things.

Slaphappy

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:30:14 -0600

Shit -- the one advantage we have over the fat cops is that we can outrun them.

simplecreature

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:25:13 -0600

Oh it was a joke Navin.

Navin

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:06:19 -0600

All the cop hate on here is pretty fucking juvenile. by the way. I don't dial the vegan collective or critical mass hotline when I hear shots or find the door of my apartment busted open. Not all cops are fat, donut-munching monsters who can't wait to pistol whip your hippie ass. I agree about the hate but you're equally juvenile with this comment. I'm sure everybody who's criticized the cops *must* be a vegan critical masser (I'm neither btw) rather than just some young, loud mouthed, loop desk jockey..which I wager accounts for more of chicagoist readership than you imagine.

simplecreature

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:31:25 -0600

Out of shape cops put the lives of citizens, and other cops, in danger. I do think the city should offer opportunities to get in better shape. In-station workout rooms are good, health plan incentives at gyms and health clubs are good too. I think the cops do have a point in terms of shift-scheduling. Pulling graveyard shifts for weeks at a time means you're sleep schedule is screwed and makes it that much harder to work out and eat right. Your healthy eating options aren't exactly endless at 3am when you go on lunch. Most cops can't go back to the station to prep food when on patrol. All the cop hate on here is pretty fucking juvenile. by the way. I don't dial the vegan collective or critical mass hotline when I hear shots or find the door of my apartment busted open. Not all cops are fat, donut-munching monsters who can't wait to pistol whip your hippie ass.

JayDeeMv2

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:08:21 -0600

Keep them fat...the useless ones will die off quicker.

JayDeeMv2

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:08:11 -0600

Keep them fat...the useless ones will die off quicker.

matilda

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:27:42 -0600

Chicago police--well, at least the union leadership--sure know how to make the public's respect for the cops grow.

Pinko

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:14:16 -0600

Perhaps if they paid our officers more or allowed them the option to live outside the city, then maybe they wouldn't have to work (2) or (3) jobs. Allowing them the option to live outside the city would be a terrible idea--they should have a vested interest in where they work.

Spook

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:37:26 -0600

That fat ass cop who parks his ass the size of russia next to the bus stop( he's on yesterday's suntimes) is freaking disgusting

leomemorial

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:27:21 -0600

Perhaps if they paid our officers more or allowed them the option to live outside the city, then maybe they wouldn't have to work (2) or (3) jobs. I can't speak for the cops, but that's the problem with some. It's also interesting that while fitness is mentioned, the addition of giving them CURRENT tools to do their jobs efficiently was not mentioned. Fitness is important to me... as I do long distance bicycling, lift weights, etc.

Ward Up

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:50:45 -0600

I am usually a defender of cops but not this time. The chubby cops are mad about the incentives. That's right. Incentives. Not mandates. The fatties can go on being fat with no penalty. Please realize that a majority of cops will NOT mind these incentives. Unfortunately, the loud lazy ones will make it seem like the whole force is against the incentives. Some cops are using the "...there are more important things to worry about..." argument. That form of arguing is common Chicagoist regarding politics, Macy's-Field's, and other things. It's very flawed reasoning. Weis can initiate this program PLUS do a lot of other things. Is that so hard for the chubby cops to understand?

tamalechica

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:44:44 -0600

I've known veteran cops who managed to go to the health club to work out and who try to eat a better diet without the FOP's "help." The kitchen thing though makes sense. Some of this could be location. A friend of mine who worked up in LakeView used to eat healthy lunches. When he changed jobs and went to the southwest side, there were more fast food joints and less healthy choices and he started gaining weight and needing to excercise more.

magilla gorilla

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:33:46 -0600

agree completely. weis should pull a reagan on this police union and clean house.