Officers become fitness trainers

Winter Haven Canine Officer Paul Galloway (left) shows the proper way to stretch your shoulder muscle during the training while 911Fitness instructor Jim Sayih talks with law enforcement personnel about stretching exercises during the 9i1Fitness certification. The class helps teach police officer about staying fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Jennifer L. Davis/News Chief

By BRIAN McBRIDE
News Chief

WINTER HAVEN -- Paul Galloway left the Winter Haven police station Wednesday as a K-9 Unit Officer. He is expected to return today bearing an additional title -- police fitness leader.

Upon completion of the three- day 911 Fitness certification course, hosted by Winter Haven police, Galloway will own the knowledge and skills to help improve the various fitness levels of his fellow officers.

Police Chief Dave Romine said the initiative had no bearing on the current department fitness, but rather it created a certified personal police trainer at no cost to the city.

"How can I lose?" Romine said. "The training costs us nothing and it's making something available to my officers and staff to help them live a healthier life."

The 911 Fitness certification for "fitness leader" utilizes guidelines established by the American College of Sports Medicine, which is recognized for maintaining the highest standards in the fitness industry. The certification focuses on the practical fitness information needed as a fitnessleader, said 911 Fitness Director Jim Sayih.

"Officers themselves are motivated to learn because they want to help co-workers or themselves," said Sayih, an 11-year Miami police officer, and who travels around the state teaching fitness classes.

According to his biography list, some of Sayih's accolades include a silver medalist in the 1996 International Law Enforcement Games, nationally certified fitness trainer by the National Council on Strength and Fitness, and fitness columnist for COPNET, a nationally syndicated police radio program.

There is no physical fitness training during the seminar, yet it's a classroom atmosphere where officers are educated in various stretching exercises and taught crucial instruction in human behavior and psychology, exercise programming, nutrition and weight management and health appraisal and fitness testing.

The fitness students must take a 100 question test at the end of the course and need at least a score of 85 to pass.

Galloway, who said he was chosen to absorb the fitness lessons because of his strong consciousness on good health, said he won't don the role of whipping the entire department into athletes, but just to teach a sound lifestyle.

"I definitely want to bring the knowledge on being able to apply better wellness lessons to the department," he said.

After placing eleventh this year out of about 80 law enforcement teams in the annual Special Weapons and Tactics Round-up, where teams compete in all areas of law enforcement, Polk County Sheriff's Office Det. Bobby Neil believed the training he would forward to his fellow officers would better prepare them next year for the Orlando event.

"Fitness is one of the biggest things. I would like to implicate some kind of fitness regimen for the department," he said "It would mean a lot to bring a trophy back to Polk County."