Anthropometric and physical characteristics of rural law enforcement of the north coast of California

Author

Anna M. Welch

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.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/t435gg64z

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