L.A. Puts Its Police On A Diet

Recruits Learn About Nutrition In The Quest For a Healthier, Fitter Force

(AP)  The Los Angeles Police Department has hired a dietitian to help veterans and recruits alike to slim down and get in shape.

While overweight officers aren't unique to Los Angeles, the police department believes it's the first to hire a full-time diet coach.

Rana Parker joined in July, leaving behind decidedly less macho clients at Head Start, the federal aid program for children.

She lays down the law for recruits, veterans and top brass, letting them know that eating right can help them do a better job and could even save their lives.

"I joke with them that I'm not the food police, that I'm just here to give them information, education and hopefully give them motivation to help themselves," she said.

Faced with a need for more officers in recent years, the LAPD briefly relaxed body fat limits from a maximum of 22 percent for men and 30 percent for women, drawing recruits who mirrored a plumper American public.

By targeting recruits, Parker is trying to instill good eating habits before the rigors of the field make it difficult to find time for balanced meals. She's provided one-on-one counseling to about 90 recruits, taught a nutrition course to about 500 others and made presentations to more than 400 officers.

Though Parker's met some resistance to her belt-tightening measures, she's also found followers.

Recruit Ashley Goodroe has dropped four dress sizes since they started working together in September. Goodroe said the lessons she's learned include giving up sugary fruit punch and regularly eating breakfast. The hardest part was cutting back on the fat-laden weekly meal that takes her home to Georgia: fried pork chops, collard greens and corn bread.

"I feel skinny," Goodroe, 23, said with a laugh. "I actually had to get my uniforms fitted again."

Doughnuts may be the punch line for many cop jokes, but they're not the problem, Parker said. Long hours and the on-the-go nature of police work make it hard to find time to eat well and stay in shape, she said.

"They may be sitting in their car and all of a sudden they need to go for a sprint, which might end in a fight as well," Parker said. "They need to be in good shape so their body can handle that kind of stress."

But officers who don't plan their meals are reduced to nutritional bottom-feeding: drive-thru burgers, microwave burritos and greasy slices of pizza.

Parker believes officers can better take a bite out of crime if they aren't hungry on their shifts. She encourages stashing energy bars, fruit and peanut butter sandwiches in squad cars and desks, to stave off hunger when getting a full meal is hard.

Fit officers are more confident, project strength and give the department a good image, she added. A suspect may think twice about trying to outrun a physically fit officer.

Kevin Sommers, national chairman of safety and technology for the Fraternal Order of Police, applauded the LAPD for recognizing diet as an important issue.

"For the longest time in law enforcement we trained our people in policing, but we didn't teach our people about how to maintain their mental and physical well-being," he said.

[keithle1]

Got to be able to chase down the young black men & Latinos. Can always let the dogs loose. Most people don''t wanna mess with a German Shepherd.

[coppertales]

Heck, the main reason people join a police dept is for all the free donuts..........

[johnstossel]

I bet the donut shops will all be going out of business. Excuse me officer, your eyes are glazed. Have you been eating donuts tonight, sir?

[sistatee-2009]

No more valet parking at the donut shops?

[drivelphobe]

There should be a system of physical qualification every three months, similar to continuing education in other professions. If their weight and/or physical performance doesn''t meet guidelines, they should be put on suspension, followed by termination if not corrected.

No law enforcement personnel should be allowed to smoke. It is repulsive to see an overweight cop, smoking and stuffing his face with the proverbial "donut".

Now with all the talk about lack of funds, they have the money to hire a nutritionist to help these individuals eat right? If officers don''t have enough sense to take good care of themselves physically, then fire them. The job definition requires top condition and physical superiority.