The city of New York needs a lot more police officers. A rising wave of crime in the blue-run city means more bodies are required on the street, but the problem is that a record number of officers have retired. So, to fill their desperate need, the NYPD has made it much easier for candidates to pass the necessary fitness requirements to earn their badges. 

According to a report in the New York Post, the department has removed the faux 6-foot wall inside the Police Academy gym and replaced it with something a non-athletic person could handle; a chain-link fence that is much easier to climb. 

A year ago, someone recorded several candidates failing miserably in their attempt to get over the wall.  So, in order to try to get more wannabes passing the physical exam, they made it much easier for a non-athletic potential cop to navigate. 

It’s called the “Barrier Surmount” and is one of the requirements in the physical exam portion of the test.  Future cops must pass that to begin their six-month training at the NYPD academy in Queens. 

Another change was made in the amount of time given to candidates to complete the task. It was raised from 3:28 to 4:28, a full minute increase. 

In the past, a candidate also had to run `1.5 miles in a time of 14:21, but they scrapped that all together, according to the Post. 

To illustrate how serious the problem is in New York, over 2,100 cops have retired or left the force this year, and over 1,500 retired or quit in 2020. 

Add comment