Neo-Luddite
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If cops want to carry M4s. . .
They will have to flex fitness tests
May 16, 2008
BY FRANK MAIN AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporters
Cops who want to shoot an M4 assault weapon will have to flex more than a trigger finger.
The Chicago Police Department recently launched physical fitness tests for cops who have applied to carry the semiautomatic rifle.
Cops who want to shoot an M4 assault weapon will have to pass a set of physical tests.
Members of gang, gun and tactical teams are the first ones being asked if they want to take the state-approved exam for officers, called the P.O.W.E.R. test.
A male officer between 30 and 40 years old must run 1.5 miles in 14.3 minutes, do 34 sit-ups in a minute, bench press 87 percent of his weight and do a 15-inch sit-and-reach.
Mark Donahue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, questioned why cops need to pass a fitness test to carry M4s.
"I don't believe it's likely that situations would arise where you'd be running great distances with this weapon," Donahue said. "As long as you're proficient, you should be able to carry it."
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond disagreed.
"If you are grasping for breath, the weapon could waver up and down," she said.
Bond said 85 percent of the officers who've taken the fitness test for the M4s have passed. She would not say how many have taken it.
Officers who fail the test can re-take it as many times as they wish.
The plan is to deploy the weapon over the next one to three years, Bond said. The M4s have not been bought yet, she said.
New York and other big cities, as well as many Chicago suburbs, already have equipped officers with assault weapons. A 2006 police standoff in Humboldt Park with a man armed with an AK-47 demonstrated the need for superior firepower, officials said.
One lieutenant said he thinks the department should first improve officers' access to shotguns.
The lieutenant, who asked not to be identified, said eight shotguns are stored in each of the city's 25 districts, but can only be used with a watch commander's approval and only in limited circumstances such as search warrants and surveillance. He recommended the department equip squad cars with gun racks to allow officers to carry them in the field around the clock.
"It's a devastating, close-range weapon at 50 to 75 yards," the lieutenant said of a shotgun loaded with a lead slug instead of pellets.
Lots of training is needed with the M4 because the .223-caliber bullets can travel a mile, compared with a quarter mile for pistols, he said.
The fitness tests are part of a broader training program for the gang, gun and tactical officers who want to carry M4s, Bond said.
Police Supt. Jody Weis, meanwhile, is proposing mandatory annual fitness tests for new and promoted officers starting in 2009--and voluntary tests for other officers. Cops who fail the test twice would undergo further evaluation about whether they're fit for duty.
Contributing: Annie Sweeney
They will have to flex fitness tests
May 16, 2008
BY FRANK MAIN AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporters
Cops who want to shoot an M4 assault weapon will have to flex more than a trigger finger.
The Chicago Police Department recently launched physical fitness tests for cops who have applied to carry the semiautomatic rifle.
Cops who want to shoot an M4 assault weapon will have to pass a set of physical tests.
Members of gang, gun and tactical teams are the first ones being asked if they want to take the state-approved exam for officers, called the P.O.W.E.R. test.
A male officer between 30 and 40 years old must run 1.5 miles in 14.3 minutes, do 34 sit-ups in a minute, bench press 87 percent of his weight and do a 15-inch sit-and-reach.
Mark Donahue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, questioned why cops need to pass a fitness test to carry M4s.
"I don't believe it's likely that situations would arise where you'd be running great distances with this weapon," Donahue said. "As long as you're proficient, you should be able to carry it."
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond disagreed.
"If you are grasping for breath, the weapon could waver up and down," she said.
Bond said 85 percent of the officers who've taken the fitness test for the M4s have passed. She would not say how many have taken it.
Officers who fail the test can re-take it as many times as they wish.
The plan is to deploy the weapon over the next one to three years, Bond said. The M4s have not been bought yet, she said.
New York and other big cities, as well as many Chicago suburbs, already have equipped officers with assault weapons. A 2006 police standoff in Humboldt Park with a man armed with an AK-47 demonstrated the need for superior firepower, officials said.
One lieutenant said he thinks the department should first improve officers' access to shotguns.
The lieutenant, who asked not to be identified, said eight shotguns are stored in each of the city's 25 districts, but can only be used with a watch commander's approval and only in limited circumstances such as search warrants and surveillance. He recommended the department equip squad cars with gun racks to allow officers to carry them in the field around the clock.
"It's a devastating, close-range weapon at 50 to 75 yards," the lieutenant said of a shotgun loaded with a lead slug instead of pellets.
Lots of training is needed with the M4 because the .223-caliber bullets can travel a mile, compared with a quarter mile for pistols, he said.
The fitness tests are part of a broader training program for the gang, gun and tactical officers who want to carry M4s, Bond said.
Police Supt. Jody Weis, meanwhile, is proposing mandatory annual fitness tests for new and promoted officers starting in 2009--and voluntary tests for other officers. Cops who fail the test twice would undergo further evaluation about whether they're fit for duty.
Contributing: Annie Sweeney
Like a fitness test is going to make them qualified. Give me a break. What they really need is a lot of marksmanship training and disipline along with physical training. Geez. 
. My friend is about 5'07" but weighs 275-300lbs. The LEO was able to stop the criminal and detain him until more uniformed police officers answered the 911 call. 
