Police Chief Fired over "Jelly Bellies" Memo

[Lady's Human]

Fired for what? Not being politically correct?

These are police officers. If words upset them that much, how are they going to feel if someone shoots at them?

[IRescue452]

I think he was in the right. I tell myself all the time I need to shape up. It's good for your health and its good for the job. He wasn't singling people out or saying it in a malicious way. This type of job should have fitness tests more often. What happens when police get older and less fit- they don't normally go patrolling the streets anymore, they take more specific jobs with less fitness needed. Maybe he should have made up anonymous flyers as if the memo was some sort of fitness advertisement.

[catnapper]

This reminds me of a debate we got into last night. My husband's family has a huge propensity to grow fat as they get older. My FIL feels it is his duty to chastise the girls at every turn about keeping their slim figures as they age. If he mentions losing baby weight to Ashley one more time, I'll scream (just for the record, she has lost all her pregnancy weight, it just took her 4 months instead of overnight as FIL thought it should have happened)

I feel he's TOTALLY wrong for telling them they will get fat - they aren't now. Though he speaks to them as if they ARE fat. Both girls walk away insulted to the core. My husband agrees with me.... or so I thought until last night when he sided with his sister, saying that his father DID have the right to tell the girls that they will get fat.

I myself feel we all know if we are or are not fat. Nobody needs to tell us something we are already perfectly aware of.

BUT, if its something to do with a job, and there are standards to be maintained (like military, fllight attendants, Playboy bunnies ) then it needs ot be spelled out in their employment contract. A boss should be able ot tell his employees that they are not living up to their empoloyment contract and they need to lose weight in order to maintain their job.

[Laura's Babies]

The company I work for has started the "fitness" thing also. When I went to that meeting in Nashville in January, they weighed us, checked out sugar and cholesterol and from the results, they sent us a suggested list of things for us to do.

They are doing this with everyone and the Captains have a very in depth physical they have to take from time to time. They are also encouraging us cooks to cook healthier and cut fat out of our reciepes where ever we can.

The reason thay are doing this is because of how we work, the main focus of most of the people out there is FOOD! Some people will gain 30 pound a trip. I use to gain 10 pounds per 28 day trip but would loose it when I was on my 28 off days since I was NOT use to eating 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. They have had people die out there from heart attacks and it was happening more and more. Just think about it... we are out there, up and down the river, out in the middle of nowhere and if someone has a heart attack, it takes sometimes HOURS for the company to get them to where they can get off the boats and get them to a hospital. (There is NO 911 on the river where you call and they are there in minutes)

Doing these physicals, they have sent people streight to the hospitals because they were only days away from a diabetic coma, days or minutes away from heart attacks or strokes. They have found some that had high seriously blood pressure and sugar levels and didn't have a clue. They don't just tell you these things but give you ways to correct it and have people that will work with you.

Our company also will pay for any/every thing you have to do to quit smoking. They know in the long run, that doing this will save them money in medical insurance and loss time at work.

Check out your favorite fast food for calories and fat here...
http://www.wafb.com/Global/link.asp?...av=menu57_10_2

[Prairie Purrs]

Catnapper, your FIL and people like him are a major reason why eating disorders run rampant among girls and young women. Show him a recent picture of Nicole Ritchie sometime and ask him if he wants his granddaughters to look like that. (And if he says yes, slap him.) Ask him whether he wants them to drop dead of a heart attack in their early 30s like Karen Carpenter.

It's one thing to encourage children and young adults to eat in a healthy manner and exercise. It's quite another to constantly tell them that they look fat. That just sends the message that one's worth is measured solely by one's appearance, and it's a recipe for disaster. Plenty of people aren't meant to be bone-thin, and they'll just get sick if they try.

The man deserves a swift boot in the butt! And so does your husband, if he buys into that crap.

As for the police department memo, sounds to me like the issue wasn't so much whether cops are/should be in shape as it was an indication that the chief had a poor management style. If department morale was poor to begin with, then a "by the way, you're fat" memo was bound to make matters worse. It may be a good idea for police officers to be in good physical shape, but it's not a good idea to have a police department that's angry and discouraged.

[dukedogsmom]

I think he had the right idea but went about it totally wrong. It's not just one department that has out of shape officers. Maybe there could have been scheduled work out days for them? Anyway, how did he expect positive results with that email?

[lizbud]

I don'y think it was unreasonable to expect the police force to stay
in good shape. I don't know what his day to day mangagement style
was, so can't say if he was a bad manager.Maybe he should work to get
physical fitness tests incorporated into the requirements for all police
officers in his department.

[caseysmom]

I have several friends in law enforcement and they are actually given an allowance for being in a fitness club.

Like Val said I think he had the right idea but went about it the wrong way.

I need to lose weight but having somebody tell me that way wouldn't make me want to do better.