Law enforcement, as a profession, is an extremely stressful career. It requires officers to be mentally alert and physically capable to handle a vast array of everyday situations. The profession of wildlife enforcement also encompasses all the aspects of the modern law enforcement definition. Physical agility is a major requirement for the job of a wildlife agent. Most agents routinely patrol alone and potential backup is often not within a moment’s notice. So being in good physical condition can sometimes mean life or death.

A physically fit officer not only can defend himself more effectively, but he has an advanced mental alertness, which makes him sharper, and often steps ahead of his opposition, as well. Mental alertness means quicker reactions and verbal responses that can de-escalate a potentially bad situation into a compliant one. An officer that is in top condition gives a more professional image to the public, which in turn gathers respect and cooperation.

With the long, hot, dog days of summer approaching, patrolling under the harsh elements that Louisiana can dish out can have an adverse effect on an out of shape agent. Patrolling in a vessel for eight hours under a scorching 100-degree summer sun will fatigue even the most physically fit agent. The reality is that under these conditions, the physically fit agent will still be able to out perform the unfit agent. He will also handle a situation with the public better than the unfit agent can under the same conditions. Even simply paddling a pirogue in a stealthy manner can become a problem for an out of shape agent. Often the unfit agent will not even attempt such a routine occurrence for a Louisiana wildlife agent. They will have to settle for waiting at the landing or the vehicle for the hunters, but the hunting was not done at the vehicle, it was out in the marsh, the pond, or the flooded timbers. If this is where the hunting took place, shouldn’t the agent have been out there with the hunters? This is just one example of how an unfit agent can fail to perform his job to the best of his ability.

The solution is not to become obsessed with exercise, weight training, or diet, but to have an agent realize that our profession does require us to be in good physical condition. This means that some attention to exercise, weight training and diet must be given. Our Department encourages young cadets to strive for attainable physical fitness goals while in the academy. It also requires some continued physical training once the cadet graduates, but for the most part, it is up to the individual to motivate themselves to exercise. A wellness program has been discussed and considered, but has not yet been implemented into our job description. Once it is, we as an enforcement agency will only benefit from such a requirement.