Running amok

NYPD nix of jog test ‘a danger’

Wilbur Chapman had a storied, 35-year career in the NYPD, serving as chief of patrol and later deputy commissioner of training. With current training chief Juanita Holmes scrapping one of the requirements — a 1.5-mile run that potential officers must finish in less than 14 minutes and 21 seconds — Chapman tells The Post why that’s a mistake:

THE challenge to the NYPD is to provide public safety to a complex and fragmented city.

In order to accomplish that mission, operational efficiency is imperative.

The training provided by the police academy is the most comprehensive in the state. It transforms entry-level recruits into protectors of the city. It is an honor and a privilege — not a civil right.

The training is strenuous and requires complete dedication. The people of the City of New York deserve nothing less than the best the department has to offer.

Part of that training is physical fitness. Graduates of the NYPD Police Academy should be in the best physical shape of their lives, and able to handle a variety of assignments.

Public & cops at risk

Removing the qualifying run from the academy’s curriculum, no matter how well-intentioned, is wrong and dangerous to both the public and police officers.

Officers who are not in good shape physically are more likely to get injured and not be able to protect the public, use an inordinate amount of sick time and have to retire early because of the physical demands of police work.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who opposes the change, is absolutely correct in her position of not compromising standards. You do not get diversity with lower standards, you get individuals who can be a liability.

Recruits in the Academy were traditionally offered tutoring if they were falling behind either academically or in the Physical Training School.

Those who did not qualify even with the additional dedicated resources should not be allowed to graduate.

Keep standards high

Previous recruitment drives have shown that diversity can be achieved by raising standards rather than compromising them. The NYPD, as well as other departments, must do a better job of identifying qualified applicants and ensuring that they get through the process while maintaining the highest standards.

The idea that relaxing the standards will allow more women into the department is a very problematic theory. Women have come a long way since the days of the separate Policewomen’s Bureau in the 1960s and we certainly do not want to revert to that practice.

But this is not the way to improve diversity.

Not everyone is cut out to be a member of the NYPD.

If you want it and study hard and train appropriately, you will become a member of the finest law enforcement agency in the country.

The tradition of the department, and the people of the city, deserve nothing less than New York’s Finest.