On January 22nd, the Petaluma Police Department hosted their Annual Fitness Challenge here at Casa Grande High School. Students who arrived early to school that day were met with several police cars and trucks on campus. Student Lucy James reported, “I was so confused why there were so many cars, I thought something had happened.” James’ and other students’ questions were answered at 9:24am, when an email from ParentSquare was sent out by Casa Grande’s Administration, notifying them about the event that had taken place. Admin explained that the department had used the track and weight room to ready their employees in their yearly Annual Fitness Challenge event.

This event is an entry level exam for SWAT officers, where officers are assessed on their physical abilities. That morning, the officers involved performed an 800 meter run on the track, followed by a 400-meter run while carrying a 25 pound weight on each hand and wearing a 20 pound weighted vest. Afterwards, they moved on to timed exercises, ranging from burpees to pull ups, where officers would try and perform as many of the said exercises as possible in a set time frame. Burpees and air squats were done in three minute periods, and pull ups were performed in a one minute period. 

When asked if officers get competitive during the timed exercises, SWAT Sergeant Ryan Suhrke responded with “Absolutely”. While participating in the fitness challenge may be required, that doesn’t stop them from enjoying themselves and having healthy competition. 

Outside of the entrance-level exam, SWAT teams participate in biannual fitness exams in different locations. These are required by POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training), which sets the training standards for California law enforcement officers. The actual exercises performed had been decided on by the National Tactical Officers Association, an organization that specializes in training officers for higher-risk situations.

Unfortunately, since this was an exam, no photos of the officers were taken at the time. Yet if you are curious about their work, their Instagram page (@petalumapolicedepartment), is active in keeping the community informed.