Making sure your clients are well covered by an insurance policy is just the start of your job as a broker. In addition to offering guidance on the liabilities that could threaten normal operations, you can further develop your relationship by offering insight into risk management strategies. Law enforcement duties are inherently full of risk, and personal health is an important part of preventing accidents, injuries or illness. Physical wellness should be a priority for police officers.

Common Excuses

It is easy for law enforcement personnel to put forth a number of excuses concerning their physical fitness, and lack of time to exercise or work out is often at the top of the list. The daily schedule may be crammed full with responding to calls, filling out paperwork, appearing in court or more, but these shouldn’t keep an officer from taking care of personal wellness. Fatigue, low energy and mental strain can be combatted by a healthy diet, regular exercise and adequate sleep. Health and wellness are life-saving choices that need to be made.

Personal Benefits

It may be more convincing to use the personal benefits when encouraging law enforcement clients to prioritize physical health. While it’s true that physically fit officers set a good example for the community, the primary motivation should be the positive impact exercise and a proper diet have on an officer’s lifestyle. When an individual makes time in the morning to work out or engage in some form of exercise, it can increase the ability to focus on tasks throughout the day and create more energy to meet the day’s demands. It also supports weight loss goals when done consistently and in conjunction with a healthy diet.

Engaging in physical exercise also produces endorphins, which are sometimes called the feel-good chemicals of the body. In addition to acting as a natural pain reliever, these chemicals also boost happiness. This can lead to lower stress levels in officers, potentially decreasing the risks of mental health strain and depression.

Brotherhood Benefits

Another reason to encourage police officers to pay more attention to their physical fitness is the benefit it has on their fellow officers. Police departments often have a baseline standard for fitness, especially when first joining the force, as there is a need to handle the physical exertion on the job. Officers need to know that their partners and coworkers can come to their rescue in a dangerous situation or will be able to have their back. They need assurances their partner can keep up during a chase or exhausting search. This confidence (or lack of) will impact morale and issues of trust.

Encourage your law enforcement clients to implement health and wellness programs to encourage all officers to prioritize their health. Small changes can have a significant impact on an officer’s wellbeing.

About PGUI 

Professional Governmental Underwriters, Inc., is a full-service risk management company dedicated to assisting public, educational and non-profit entities in the management of their professional liability exposures including educators liability insurance. We are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art professional underwriting management and loss control advisory services on behalf of our designated carriers. For more information, call us toll-free at (800) 586-6502.