Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Randall Jeppesen, KSL NewsradioIt's time to get in shape if your part of the Utah County Sheriff's Office. They're the latest law enforcement group to start requiring physical fitness standards.
Can you run 1 ½ miles under 16 minutes or do 30 sit-ups and 17 push-ups under a minute each? Those are the standards being set up for Utah County deputies. Capt. Doug Witney of the Utah County Sheriff's Office says, "It's fitness. It's mental. It's emotional. It's the overall holistic approach to a deputy."
Witney says deputies that don't pass will get coaching and mentoring on everything from eating habits to strength training. He says this is so when they have to rescue someone off a mountain or take down a dangerous inmate they'll be ready. "These guys will know in their own selves, that ‘I can handle this.'"
He says the only way someone will get disciplined from the test is if they fail to participate in the fitness program.
