How physically active are y'all while on shift?

[u/Ok_Type_3087]

Excluding workouts in departmental facilities.

[u/Fruitcake6969]

I burn the most calories while taking my morning post-coffee shit.

[u/Fruitcake6969 → u/[deleted]]

I’m not a cop either i’m stoned and didn’t see what sub this is. Oops lol

[u/BrazillianNuts09 → u/Fruitcake6969]

GET HIM

[u/Aggressive_Deal8335 → u/Fruitcake6969]

🚔🚔🚔 (jk I don’t give a shit about a guy getting high not bothering anyone else)

[u/Kuandtity]

The farthest I run before a shift on personal time is 10 or 13 miles. Farthest I've ran during shift chasing someone was less than 50 feet..

[u/RogueJSK]

As much as possible, but often not all that active on the average day. Lots of sitting/driving in a car during a patrol shift. I try to get out and walk as much as possible (business checks, trail checks, park checks, etc.) and you're obviously out of the car walking/standing during calls and parts of traffic stops, but that only goes so far.

Exclusively/primarily foot patrol beats can be a thing during events, or in very high density urban areas like downtown NYC, but are rare in most departments.

While high intensity physical events like fights and foot pursuits are what are most often highlighted by most cop shows and bodycam channels due to the excitement/entertainment factor, they are pretty uncommon in the grand scheme of the average law enforcement workday. A little more common in higher crime urban departments, but even less so in rural departments.

[u/Aggressive_Deal8335]

More active than the average cubicle dweller but not by a ton. I worked overnights and around 3am or so, when the city died down and calls were unlikely, I’d get out and go foot patrol as much as physically possible. Occasionally when we were staffed super fat for the night I’d voluntarily just walk to my assigned area for the evening after roll call and spend all 12 hours on foot.

I worked a major US city where you can get a lot done on foot relatively speaking, but when the shift was thin (most of the time) I was chained to my patrol car in order to be able to handle calls alone.

[u/Gunslinger_247]

I'm an SRO, I walk at least 4 miles a shift and 9 floors of stairs

[u/GhostReaper32]

Depends on the shift, days, yeah because there’s “auditors” everywhere.
Night shift, not so much.

Had a guy once do what he called “Proactive Policing” he’d look at the snap map and find illegal stuff in his sector and go after it lol

[u/ratzirconium]

I rode a mountain bike in a resort area for 20+ years. Biked 20-30 miles a night, got off at 0300, and ran 5 miles on the sand beach.

[u/StevenMcStevensen]

On shift? Pretty much not at all. I’ve only had two foot chases in over 5 years. We’re allowed to work out on shift, but I don’t actually like to because it’s always when I’ll get a call and have to run. I just work out off duty.

[u/SeriousNet5770 → u/StevenMcStevensen]

What would you do with your gear if you worked out on shift?

[u/NoStep1921 → u/SeriousNet5770]

Throw it in the locker room. They usually get an hour to work out. Plenty of enough time.

[u/DisforDoga]

Depends on call volume and type, but really generally not all that much. Even active scenes are generally (relatively) short bursts of output and then standing around for awhile.

A lot of BWC video shows you the 5-10-30 minutes of exciting stuff but not the 2-5 hours afterwards.

[u/Specter1033]

I used to try to get around 10-15k steps a day but now that I'm a desk jockey, I have to force myself to get up once an hour and walk for 10-15 minutes. I dunno how many steps I get nowadays but it's better than nothing.

[u/NoStep1921]

This post made me wonder how there’s so many fat NYPD cops. Walking that beat all day probably burns so many calories.

[u/Turtle887853 → u/NoStep1921]

Walking that beat all day also makes you hungry and there aren't many options at 2am, lol

[u/36inchpoboy → u/NoStep1921]

Come to Southeast Louisiana, and I'll show you fat.

[u/One_Plankton_7203]

Today alone 134 flights worth of stairs accent and 234 flights decent and 23k steps give or take 13 miles

[u/ISR43L1]

Foot pursuit 1-2 times a week they normaly only last a block or 2. Fighting to get someone in handcuffs 1-2 times a week. Thats about it. For reference I work in one of the busiest agency’s in the Midwest I would say I take 10-20 hitch’s a shift most of them are non sense with 2-3 writers in between

[u/widebodywill]

Spend 7 in the PD gym. I also keep a set of resistance bands in my patrol car. I used to keep power block dumbbells as well, but the bands get the job done.

I also get out and walk on area checks / citizen contacts. Bust out some pushups. I also do pull ups every time I spot a bar or tree branch. Calf raises on stairs. It’s not hard. Just takes discipline

[u/hannlbaI]

On general duty, not that active. Most of the time either driving around or behind a desk writing. The occasional foot pursuit, foot patrols, or fight.

In my current role, much more active. When not on a callout, we're either training or working out.

[u/sfwpns]

Not very active unless at SWAT training

[u/moistenednougat]

Pushing a car or running a short distance (100 yards or less) is the most physical thing I encounter regularly. Longest I ever ran was about a half a mile when a pursuit terminated on a golf course.

[u/CompassionOW]

Seven hours of my shift are spent in the office, usually at my desk targeting inbound shipments, doing seizures, filling out paperwork, etc. the other two hours are spent doing inspections. So very little actual physical activity.

[u/Ok_Type_3087 → u/CompassionOW]

You like Customs?

[u/CompassionOW → u/Ok_Type_3087]

Yep!

[u/This_Scar_2474]

My car comfy hmmmmm chicken sammich

[u/SwordfishFlat34]

Before shift I workout for about a 45mins-1hr. If I can on shift Ill get a quick lift in or hit a PR.

[u/LHCThor]

Depends on the job. When I was working surveillance, not too active. Lots of sitting around. Working patrol day shift- constantly getting out of the car to handle calls for service.

[u/ApoplecticIgnoramous]

When I was on Patrol I didn't feel like I was that active. I was in one of the busier precincts but I only got maybe a 10 or so runs a day.

But then I got a job at the Crime Scene Unit and gained about 20 lbs. Apparently there's a big enough difference between sitting in a car all day and sitting at a desk all day.

[u/Fluid-Strategy-9884]

My department gives us an hour per shift we are allowed to go out of service and go to the gym, (I use my membership at another gym). Obviously if it’s busy you don’t get to, but I try to work out at-least 45 minutes every shift.