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Trenton
-- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and State
Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes today
announced changes to the State Police Physical
Qualification Test.
The
changes do not impact the standards currently
required of all troopers and recruits graduating
from the State Police Academy in Sea Girt,
but will allow recruits to increase their
levels of physical ability throughout the
course of training to meet that standard.
Recruits
now must fully comply with the standards
demanded upon graduation as a qualification
to enter the Academy. Research has shown
that this policy does not take into account
the tremendous strides in physical fitness
gained during Academy training. The new
physical qualification test will further
the State Police’s goal of graduating
the most physically fit troopers possible.
Studies have also shown that the current
policy has had a disproportionate affect
on the number of women and African-American
recruits who are admitted to the Academy
after recruitment drives.
“We
think this is an important change that keeps
in effect the tough physical standards required
of New Jersey State Police troopers, but
allows recruits to work themselves into
top shape at the Academy,’’
Attorney General Rabner said. “We
also believe this change in the Physical
Qualification Test should increase the diversity
of our trooper class.’’
“The
goal of the New Jersey State Police is to
incorporate best practices in our recruiting
efforts, so we can select a group of candidates
that are physically and mentally prepared
to respond the needs of the state’s
diverse population,” Superintendent
Fuentes added.
The
new qualification test will go into effect
for the next applicant class, which is due
to start at the Academy later this year.
State law enforcement officials are about
to launch a new round of recruitment and
selection aimed at adding approximately
200 new troopers in 2008. Two State Police
classes are currently in residence and are
due to graduate this summer.
The
revised physical qualification test is based
on a thorough job task analysis and includes
a 1.5 mile run, push-ups, situ-ups, and
a 75-yard agility run. Applicants will have
to meet or exceed a minimum performance
standard on each of the four tests in order
to be considered for the Academy. The minimum
standards include completing a 1.5 mile
run in 14 minutes and 26 seconds, completing
18 push-ups within two minutes, completing
21 sit-ups in two minutes, and completing
the 75-yard run within 19.5 seconds.
Applicants
overall performance will be graded on a
sliding points scale for each of the four
physical tests – sit-ups, push-ups,
1.5 mile run and 75-yard run – that
goes as high as seven points for top performance
in each category.
After
completing all four tests, an applicant
will receive a total score, which must be
equal to or exceed a score of 20 to qualify.
The new test adopts a compensatory scoring
system that allows candidates who perform
exceptionally well in one test to compensate
for a lesser performance in another test
and still meet the test passing score.
The
minimum performance standards and the compensatory
scoring system were designed to include
applicants who will likely be able to pass
the Academy’s physical graduation
test after undergoing the physical fitness
regimen during training. The Academy graduation
and incumbent physical standards demand
the completion of a 1.5 mile run within
13 minutes, the completion of 32 push-ups
within two minutes, and the completion of
34 sit-ups within two minutes.
Rabner
and Fuentes said the Sate Police is also
in the process of creating a new physical
fitness testing assistance program, which
will be a voluntary program for candidates
to train for the revised physical qualification
test. The program will be held at the Sea
Girt Training Facility.
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