Learning through Doing: Taking the Police Physical Exam
As a member of the Business Analytics team in South Bend’s Department of Innovation and Technology, I help Departments with data analytics, performance management, and continuous improvement projects. In my role, I get to work closely with the South Bend Police Department as they use data and design thinking to address one of the City’s major challenges: Police Recruitment. Recently I had the opportunity to learn by doing and see, outside of spreadsheets and dashboards I typically work in, what the physical test was like.
Context
Recruitment has been a focal point for the Police SB Stat conversations.* Among many other topics around Police recruitment was that ILEA state standards required to enter Indiana’s Police Academy. The South Bend Police Department uses the same standards in their hiring process to ensure that hired candidates can pass the entrance requirements for the Police Academy.
Through an attrition analysis, it was noted that female attrition was the highest in the physical exam, which is the first step in the hiring process after a qualifying application. Through allegory, it was said that the 16 inch vertical jump, which is the first physical feat to be performed, and push-ups disproportionately affected women. To see more about the Physical Fitness Assessment Test, click here.
This information in hand, I did some preliminary research to find out why this might be. Looking mostly at the vertical jump, I formed a hypothesis; your jump height is predetermined by height and body type. The averages from several sources affirmed this belief showing that for the average healthy person 16 inches was the low end for men and the high end for women.
Additional research led me to this study — Prediction of Vertical Jump Height. I was immediately wrong! I used the studies in the references and citations of this study to further explore the topic and found that with appropriate training and technique, improving your vertical jump height was not only plausible but achievable. My original hypothesis disproved, I was back to the drawing board.
The Idea
Enter Anna Kennedy, my fellow business analyst, who in a meeting said “what if you went and took the test?” . One of the most important steps in the scientific method after all is performing your experiment and analyzing your data! An excellent suggestion. It’s easy to sit in an arm chair and speculate on whether a standard is fair but another to live it.
Methodology
I would be the control with an average activity level and bursts of high activity events along with a good bill of health. The other business analyst on the team, who we’ll refer to as Z, would be the next bracket of fitness, being an avid runner and hiker. A shout-out to her for participating!
The Exam
The date was set and we were off to see if we could make the cut. We received an enthusiastic reception from the training and recruitment team at the Police Department. They were both encouraging and firm with their instruction and guidance through the process. Keep in mind that all of these feats are performed in consecutive order in a 1 to 2 hour period.
Here’s how we did:
I passed the vertical jump (which surprised me!) and Z did not. If this had been the real exam, Z would have been eliminated from the process after her third try. However, this wasn’t a question of ability. After her official tries, the training team swooped in with helpful advice and pointers on her jumping form. They gave her space to practice and let her see if she could do it with proper technique. She went from 10 inches to 16 inches in just a few minutes. We’d both gone in under the assumption that we would be like many of the other female applicants, only to realize we were capable.
Push-ups were another story. Neither of us managed to complete the required 25 push-ups even with no time limit. Allowing Z to do modified push-ups only increased the count to 15, still 10 push-ups short. Again, the training team was supportive in sharing information on the correct form for a push-up. They coached about how doing a push-up incorrectly makes them even more difficult as you compensate with the wrong the muscle groups. This actually lined up with the allegorical evidence.
In spite of what we passed, the exam was not easy. It was not meant to be.
Future Analysis
It is my new theory that the physical standards are reasonable and the underlying issue is physical education.
The 16" in jump is achievable with the correct form and practice, as was demonstrated by Z and I. I believe this is skewing the results not by ability but, by being the first task. It’s possible that if the order was changed, other tasks would come to the forefront as the hardest obstacle for women. I cite that I was taught the technique for how to jump before doing the task and Z was not.
The push-ups could likely be achieved, again, with correct form and practice. They were neither Z or I’s strong suit but, with no exercises by either of us focusing on arm or back strength, one wouldn’t expect it to be. Additionally, neither of us in our athletic experiences were taught how to properly perform push-ups.
Both of these tasks share the common factor of physical education in the techniques for these activities. This could be a precursor for failure stemmed from the fact that many women’s sports and activities don’t focus on push-ups or vertical jumps. I will be putting this to the test by seeing how Z and I perform with and without coaching.
This is a completely different question than what the actual relevancy of these tasks are to being a police officer. Do you truly need to be able to do these things to become a good officer or are there other, better ways to demonstrate physical ability? Perhaps it’s range of motion and not pure muscle power. But, that is a question for another blog.
Afterword
A huge thank you to the SBPD training team and Chief Rynearson for letting us I&T ladies take our analysis to the field!
*SB Stat is the City of South Bend’s performance management program that works with departments to create measurable outcomes using data.
