Cops are fat, just like the rest of the population, but unlike those in cubicle culture, they might have to go from chilling in the cruiser to a 500-yard sprint to catch a perp (if you only knew how long I've been waiting to break out the CSI lingo in a blog post). The extra poundage caused by bad nutrition choices available in drive-thrus and convenience stores on top of a primarily sedentary job (with brief moments of intense physical activity) means that officers are in a unique problematic state where their job requires them to sit in a cop car with a radar gun for long stretches of time but also to be ready for the gun show.

The LAPD has hired a nutritionist to coach these cops through their food fixings with the hopes of keeping them in top form on the beat. Obviously, diet is only part of the story, but I wish nutritionists were provided by other employers, not just ones worried about their public image.

I'm not familiar with the requirements to be a police officer: during their time in a police academy, officers are required to meet certain physical fitness requirements, but are they tested after becoming official members of the force? Should police officers be required to maintain certain weights and abilities in order to perform their duties? Is it discrimination if a police officer were fired for weighing, say, 400 pounds? What if they can still run 200 meters in 60 seconds? What do you think?

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