Friday March 29th, 2024 3:11AM

Hall County Sheriff's Office adopts new fitness test

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office has updated its annual assessment for physical fitness for its employees.

The agency’s fitness testing will now mirror the state’s new Physical Agility Test, or PAT. In 2021, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council started requiring all candidates to pass PAT before admission into the academy.

Lieutenant Greg Cochran oversees the physical fitness assessments at the sheriff’s office. The physical fitness assessment implemented in 2015 that new hires and current employees (deputies and jailers) are tested on was similar to the PAT, but Cochran said they decided to make a few changes so it was more in line with the new standard.

"I think it's very comparable," said Cochran. "One thing we are continuing to do - we've always had a treadmill test, very similar to a stress test, that our folks have to take before they actually do the 'moving course,' as we call it, the physical agility course. We still have that."

Cochran said that element of the test helps them assess deputy's cardiovascular health and mobility, so they are using that test and the PAT together.

Following the changes to the assessment, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office is now an official PAT testing facility.

“I would like to commend and support Sheriff Couch and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office in their promotion of a physical fitness initiative,” GPSTC Executive Director Chris Wigginton said. “This continues to be an important step in the right direction to not only help maintain a safe and healthy environment, but also to help prepare future cadets for the physical demands required of a law enforcement officer. Using the physical agility test as their annual physical assessment is an excellent way to gauge the level of officer fitness. Having physically fit officers enables the Sheriff’s Office to provide that professional service that is expected by their communities.”

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