BOZEMAN — Did you know that if you want to become a police officer here in Bozeman, you have to complete an obstacle course? But it’s no American Ninja Warrior, and it’s not as easy as it looks.
“It’s harder than it looks. I think everyone who has run it would say the same thing,” says Officer James Lusby with the Bozeman Police Department.
Monday morning, in the auditorium of Grace Bible Church, Lusby and Officer Kyle Hodges ran 11 new recruits through the Montana physical abilities test.
“We start off, they have to do six laps on the obstacle course,” Lusby tells me.
Which includes a balance beam, jumping over and under hurdles, sprinting up and down stairs, and more.
“Simulating things that say, you would encounter if you were in a foot pursuit chasing someone," he adds.
Immediately after the obstacle course, it’s off to a device they called the push-pull. Then, over to a 165-pound dummy doll that they have to drag across the room.
“Has anyone ever thrown up on the course?” I asked the officers. “Yes, several times,” they replied.
But this physical abilities test is just the beginning for these new recruits.
“We won't see them on the street for, it’s nearly a one-year process from the time that they apply,” says Joe Swanson, the support services captain for Bozeman Police.
Swanson says the next steps after the physical fitness test? Multiple in-person interviews and written tests, eventually leading to background checks and police academy. A lengthy process.
“We are trying to definitely, to get people in the door and on the street. Unfortunately, it’s kind of always been the case it’s not just Bozeman. It’s probably nationwide, there’s this shortage of police officers,” says Swanson.
But here in Bozeman, a first responders' mill levy was rejected by voters. The levy would have provided more funding for the city's police and fire departments. Last year, the city commission did allocate Bozeman Police four new positions, but Swanson tells me if the first responder levy was passed?
“That would've allocated about 30 people for the next five years. So really, where we’re at today? We’ll be making additional budget requests to the city commission to continually get more officers," he says.
For now, Swanson and the rest of this physical abilities testing crew are hopeful for the recruits they watched give it their all Monday morning.
“I just think that this test is a great example of a person's character. We can usually tell where a person’s at, and if they’re going to be a good candidate just by this test,” says Lusby.
