Police chief nixes paid workouts for officers

WINNIPEG - Giving police officers paid time for physical fitness is not an option, police Chief Keith McCaskill said today, following the police union"s calls for the city to consider the idea.

Earlier this week, Winnipeg Police Association president Mike Sutherland called on the city to pay for officers to have 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day, which the officers would match with their own time.

McCaskill said about 1,036 officers successfully completed mandatory physical fitness testing last year, of about 1,400 eligible.

Officers receive 20 hours of time off annually if they successfully pass the test, and are eligible for pay increases and promotion.

However, McCaskill said giving officers daily paid time off for physical fitness would mean there would be less officers available to answer calls, which he said is the forcersquo;s number one priority.

He said it would be "difficult" to schedule physical fitness time so it wouldnrsquo;t reduce the number of officers on the street.

"Our main job as police officers is to be able to provide the services as necessary to the citizens we serve," he said. "And I think that means (getting) officers out on the street as much as they possibly can to be able to answer those calls."

McCaskill classified the issue of paid time for exercise as a collective bargaining issue. The next round of collective bargaining begins next year.

Sutherland said the issue of paid time for fitness was dropped during the last round of collective bargaining.

McCaskill acknowledged that offenders are "bulking up," and said officers are dealing with more firearms on the street. He said the force encourages its members to stay in shape.

"I think most officers realize they have to be physically fit," he said.

He said the force is trying to protect officers with initiatives including the recently launched Tactical Support Team and plans to bring in a police helicopter.

Mayor to Host Fitness Challenge Jan. 13 at Palm Springs High School

Jan. 13 at Palm Springs High School! Jan. 11, 2010 Mayor Steve Pougnet and City staff in conjunction with Palm Springs Unified School District and the Mizell Senior Center will once again take part in the Desert Fitness Challenge, a friendly competition that pits all three Coachella Valley school districts and nine cities against each other for fitness bragging rights and the entire Palm Springs community is encouraged to participate! Pougnet, district officials, the CIF Championship-winning Palm Springs High School Indians football team along with officials from the Mizell Senior Center-- will kick off the city-wide call to fitness challenge this Wednesday, Jan. 13 during a 12:15 p.m. rally in the quad at Palm Springs High School, 2401 E. Baristo Road. Following the rally, the football players will face off against the Mayor and the rest of the adults in special test of physical fitness that you won"t want to miss! Palm Springs beat the City of Coachella in last year"s inaugural fitness challenge. Make no mistake, we"ll win again this year, said Pounget, in response to a challenge by Desert Hot Springs Mayor Yvonne Parks. Palm Springs is an active city full of both students and adults looking to get fit and we love a challenge! The City"s 2010 effort is part of a statewide initiative sponsored by the Governor"s Council on Physical Fitness. Winners of the challenge will be selected based on active days logged and submitted by applicants. The challenge encourages students, teachers, parents and all Palm Springs residents to be physically active 30-60 minutes a day, at least three days a week. A City of the year, district of the year, and school of the year will ultimately be named and winners will get bragging rights as well as receive a flag. The state initiative will also award prizes including a $100,000 fitness center and exercise equipment. Of course we want to win that fitness center, said Pougnet, who is an avid runner and swimmer. But whoever wins, what"s most important is that we"re getting fit together as a community. Activity will be recorded online and a running total of each school district"s and city"s progress will be posted at . I encourage everyone in the Coachella Valley to take part in the Desert Fitness Challenge, said Pougnet. Physical activity has been proven to play a huge role in both mental and academic success and there"s nothing better than getting fit!

Stock spotlight: Life Time Fitness

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