Bench press is tough test for female Ogden officers

OGDEN — Despite months of training and preparation, three of five female police officers here failed a new mandatory physical fitness test.

"I've been working and training a long time to pass it," said Lt. Marcy Korgenski, one of the successful two. "It's tough for women to pass. The bench press is very, very difficult."

In Ogden, the first official testing period was Nov. 10 through this Friday. One hundred eighteen of Ogden's 132 officers have taken the test and eight — three of them women — have failed it.

All but two of the female officers were previously classified as "remedial" — having failed a trial run last year, they were allowed on-duty time to work out.

"No, I don't think it's fair for the women," said Tracy Cragun, 49, one of the remedial officers who has not yet taken the test. "We don't have the upper-body strength. I'm not out of shape, but the bench press is really hard for me. . . . If I keep working at it I'll pass it, but every year it's not going to get any easier."

Thirty-two-year-old officer Danielle Pierce was not remedial but had to train hard nonetheless to become, with Korgenski, one of the two passing female officers.

"I'm fortunate that I'm younger and haven't had any injuries," she said. "I can't believe I've got to do that thing nine more years, though."

Of all the jurisdictions using the fitness test, Ogden has probably experienced the most unrest, with police union members saying it's unfair and discriminatory and Police Chief Jon Greiner and Mayor Matthew Godfrey saying it's easy and anyone in reasonable shape should be able to pass it.

"I don't think it's a problem," Greiner said. "The (female) officers who failed usually failed on the bench press, and they were only short by a couple of pounds. They'll get it."

Jody Sizemore, who failed the test despite months of intensive training, isn't so sure.

"It was very frustrating," she said. "It was a long time preparing. You can see my muscles. I should have passed it."

Those who fail the test are allowed three more attempts over the next 90 days.

"The test is difficult and very stressful," Korgenski said. "I think we should be fit, but it's just been very hard on our police here."

The new fitness requirements are the result of a lawsuit based on a case where a Washington, D.C., officer with a shoulder injury was serving a warrant when a man resisted arrest. When the officer was unable to physically subdue the man, he shot him. The courts ruled that the police department failed to provide adequate fitness training and awarded the victim $425,000. The message: Police departments are obliged to keep their officers fit.

"It's hard to look at it and say this is not a good thing for the police," Godfrey said.

Those taking the test comprises the following:

• Run 1 1/2 miles within 15 minutes and 54 seconds.

• 25 push-ups within a minute.

• 35 sit-ups within a minute.

• 16-inch vertical jump.

• Bench press 75 percent of body weight.

---

E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com

Comments