HB 603: Fitness Testing for Law Enforcement Benefits Everyone

March 21, 2017

Randy Petersen

Randy Petersen is a former senior researcher at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Petersen spent twenty-one years in law enforcement in Bloomingdale, Illinois, working in patrol, investigations, administration, and management. After retiring from the Bloomingdale Police Department, Randy moved to Texas where he was the Director of the Tarrant County College District Criminal Justice Training Center, one of the busiest police academies in the state.

There is no current statewide fitness test requirement for police officers, yet fit officers miss less work due to illness and injury. Additionally, fit officers are more confident in their interactions with the public.

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