Bad news for officers who indulged in one too many doughnuts; Texas State troopers will begin holding officers to fitness standards more strictly, including assessments of weight and waist size.
According to documents obtained by the Dallas Morning News, male troopers will have to slim down to under a 40-inch waistline, while females must stay below 35 inches. If Texas State troopers cannot meet the standard by December 1, 2022, they could face administrative disciplinary action.
Some of the administrative disciplinary actions that could be taken include being denied promotions or removal from the Texas State troopers.
Out of the roughly 4,000 Texas State troopers, the New York Post reported that two hundred do not meet the new standard. These officers will be given a “fitness improvement plan,” through which they will set goals and track their physical activity. Troopers will fill out forms with their goals, focusing on precise, timely, and attainable benchmarks. One officer wrote that they would begin to document their sugar intake and walk outside more.
Texas State troopers have been monitored since 2018, when the department started to document each officer’s weight and waist size biannually. However, the department has not initiated punitive actions against troopers pushing past the recommended standards. In addition to waist size requirements, Texas State troopers will also have to pass a physical fitness test of their choice. They will be able to choose between “rowing tests, a combat fitness evaluation, or a standard assessment that includes a mile-and-a-half run, push-ups, and sit-ups.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association disagrees with the state’s requirements. In 2019, they filed a lawsuit against the DPS, but the suit later fell through in court. The DPSOA stated that the “DPS is continuing in its plan to harass, discipline, and even discharge outstanding officers for not meeting its physical fitness testing standards and appearance standards.”
The DPS will review their requirements in August before making decisions about Texas State troopers who do not pass the waist measurement. They also say that, by their policy, some officers can use other measures such as BMI, height, and body weight to circumvent the regulations as long as they are physically fit enough.
