Increased Law Enforcement Officer Safety through Improved Physical Fitness

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In fiscal year 2007, the Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within six major categories: 1) targeting violent crime; 2) preventing crime and drug abuse; 3) enhancing local law enforcement; 4) enhancing local courts; 5) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 6) facilitating justice information sharing. All categories combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime.

West Texas A & M University will utilize Byrne Discretionary Category III funds (Enhancing Local Law Enforcement) to implement a required physical fitness regiment for its law enforcement officers. This program will establish fitness standards to benefit sworn officers. Required fitness testing will be based on research done by the Cooper Institute in Dallas (Texas). The institute's physical tests are based on essential job functions, and are standards that officers should be able to apply while on duty. All officers will be trained on the requirements and minimum standards of the new program. Federal funds will assist the police department in providing support, equipment, and fitness experts to ensure the successful implementation of this fitness program. Specifically, funds will cover the following costs: additional fitness equipment; testing services, kits, and questionnaires; speaker fees (expert trainers); and contracts (fitness coordinator and nutritionist).

CA/NCF