Commission affirms waist policy for DPS officers

AUSTIN — Texas state troopers must watch their weight after the Public Safety Commission unanimously affirmed a contentious policy Thursday that requires officers to maintain a certain waist size, despite a pending lawsuit challenging the new standard.

During a two-hour meeting, Department of Public Safety leaders pointed to studies that show larger waists contribute to health problems, including heart disease, and could affect job performance.

“We’re not targeting overweight, we are looking at obesity,” said DPS Deputy Director Skylor Hearn. “The measure allows us to identify obesity in our ranks and that’s the measure we say has a direct impact on job duties, both acute and chronic.”

Officers who don’t meet the new waist measurements — 40 inches for a man and 35 inches for a woman — can face serious sanctions after the first year, including reassignment. The measurements that took effect in September, are in addition to physical fitness tests officers already must pass twice a year.

Hearn announced the department will offer waivers to women who gave birth within the last year and to officers with medical needs.

The Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association President Richard Jankovsky said he’s thankful for the new waivers, but said the association’s lawsuit challenging the policy will continue on.

He is “100 percent” for physical fitness tests and heart health programs, but said measuring officers’ waists doesn’t determine their skill at the job.

“We do believe there are people that will pass a (physical fitness test) that will never pass a measurement and be disqualified from being able to do their job,” he said.