OUPD Officers Train for APOSTC Physical Training Test
Oakwood University Police officers are hard at work training for the upcoming Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC) Physical Training Examination at the Huntsville Police Academy. The APOSTC is the governing body for all law enforcement training in the state, and the Physical Agility/Ability Test is a required element of Police Academy training.
Officers are tested in areas such as Pushing, Climbing, Window Entry, Balance, Weight Drag, Timed push-ups and sit-ups, and the 1.5 mile run. Each officer must be able to push a patrol vehicle a distance of 15 feet on a paved, level surface with the gear in neutral. In other words, could you remove a stalled vehicle out of an intersection or drag a 160 lb. person out of danger?
Despite the rigorous training, everyone was in good spirits with lots of laughter and solid camaraderie helped the entire department come together as a team. Chief Melvin Harris said, “Not only did we train together, run together, and learn together, we had time to play and laugh together.” Captain David Clark said they pushed their team to the edge to see what they could do. “It’s important to keep our officers in shape, for them to track themselves, and see in what areas they need improvement.” Officer Desmond Paramore observed: “We do ourselves a disservice and we let down the community when we don’t keep ourselves up!”
The APOSTC exam is administered once a year in August, and the OUPD officers train together as a group at least three times per year in preparation. We are proud that our OUPD is working to keep their officers fit for duty.
