What the police academy WON'T prepare you for

What the police academy WON'T prepare you for
By: Monica Crawford

According to Officer Down Memorial Page, in 2022, 249 officers died in the line of duty. The median age of the line of duty deaths (LODD) was 45, with the average duty tour of fifteen years. Of those 249 LODDs, thirteen died due to heart attack, two due to heat stroke, and seven “duty-related” deaths.

Many other deaths occurred as a response to a call or during a training exercise.

These incidents range from executing arrests to foot pursuits, directing traffic, firearms training and basic physical training. In other words, these officers went to work expecting to carry out another “routine” day and died because of physical overexertion.

Their bodies became too stressed out, and their heart rates were likely too high for their body to recover just one more time.

Law enforcement officers all know the basic premise of staying healthy and in shape. They recognize the dangers of the job. They know they could go to work, get shot, get run over, get stabbed, and never return home. Yet in 2022, forty-two percent died because of poor health, likely a result of many years on the job that went unaddressed for too long.

Yet, the police academy won't prepare you for the trauma, the day-to-day chronic stress, or the toxic co-workers and work environments. In some cases, it won't even prepare you physically or mentally for your job demands.

In the worst cases, it won't help you heal from your mental and physical injuries from the trauma and chronic stress you experience.

However, being in law enforcement can be the most challenging yet most rewarding careers. So let's call it out for what it is and start taking the steps to put yourself in control of YOUR life and YOUR career.

(Spoiler alert, your administration isn't coming to save you.)

It starts with prioritizing you and your health; prioritized in that order of importance.

·         Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

·         Making intentional time for 15 minutes of self-care daily.

·         Eating 3 meals per day composed of whole, non-processed foods. 

·         Getting in movement at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week.

Those things aren’t typically taught in the academy, but they’ll keep you from being the next LODD statistic.

You get to decide what you’re worth. Are you worth devoting a few hours per day to yourself to ensure you’re able to keep up with your grandkids long after your career is over?  I believe you are.

Looking for some one-on-one help to achieve your fat loss and strength gain goals so you can hold your own at work and thrive into your 90’s (from someone who has lived the challenges inside of law enforcement)? Shoot me an email at monica@five0fierceandfit.com 

Monica is a former law enforcement officer, the author of “Thriving Inside the Thin Blue Line,” a keynote speaker, and owner of Five-0 Fierce and Fit.  As a Health and Performance Coach, Monica helps women in leadership lose 10-20+ pounds, build muscle tone, and increase energy, without extreme diets or long workouts.  Monica aspires to validate the challenges commonly faced by women in leadership (often inside of male fields) and provide education, motivation, and inspiration for women to prioritize their health en route to becoming powerful leaders who leave an everlasting impact on those they serve. Follow Monica on Instagram: @five0.fierce.and.fit