Anthropometric and physical characteristics of rural law enforcement of the north coast of California
Graduation Date
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Other
Program
Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Kinesiology, 2016
Committee Chair Name
Young Sub Kwon
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Six skill related fitness components, Five health related fitness components, Fitness testing, Police, Law enforcement officers, Anthropometrics, Somatotyping, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Kinesiology, Anaerobic capacity testing, Fitness profile of police officers
Abstract
The geographical location of a rural police force produces unique challenges. Due to lack of backup, an officer or deputy may need to actively maintain control of a resisting suspect for as long as 30 minutes before backup arrives. Additionally, unlike urban and suburban regions of California, rural districts do not have a full-time special weapons and tactics team (SWAT) for immediate assistance. Therefore, patrol officers may need to maintain a perimeter for up to one and half hours until SWAT arrives. These expanded job-duties may increase their need to improve their physical fitness in order to efficiently perform their job duties. This was the first project of its kind to investigate all the health- and skill-related fitness components, including anaerobic capacity, and somatotyping on rural law enforcement officers. This project identified the physical characteristics of twelve male rural LEOs on the northern coast of California. Participants performed a battery of laboratory and field fitness tests, a Wingate Bike test, and thorough anthropometric assessments. Results were compared to general population age- and gender-based normative data, as well as to police normative data (Hoffman Collingwood, 2015). Fitness testing revealed rural LEOs ranked at 45th percentile for cardiorespiratory fitness, 44th percentile for body composition, 65th percentile for strength, 53rd percentile for relative strength, 65th percentile for flexibility, and a higher ranking for power in the 76th percentile (Hoffman Collingwood, 2015). Somatotyping results show dominant endomorphy characteristics, followed by relatively strong mesomorphy characteristics, categorizing rural LEOs as having a meso-endomorphic somatotype.
Recommended Citation
Welch, Anna M., "Anthropometric and physical characteristics of rural law enforcement of the north coast of California" (2016). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 1598.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/1598
https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/t435gg64z