Advice to contest the 6' academy wall

[43whtfemale]

I thought that this would be an interesting discussion for a thread and would like to hear feedback from other LEs on this one, so here it is:

An aquaintance of mine, who is a Captain in a police dept., told me that if I was having trouble getting over the wall in the academy that I should "contest the wall under the grounds that males have more upper body strength than females do and thus, being that I am a female, I have grounds to dispute or contest the wall"

Yes, I agree that by simple nature men do have more upper body strength, and for the most part they don't have hips like us curvy females do. So I think that yes, that statement is correct - by nature.

But, as I see it - Contesting the wall is asinine advice, and I am dumbfounded that this advice was given to me by a man of his stature.

1) His thinking automatically assumes that I will never be able to get over the wall. I am practicing everyday, lifting weights and going over technique to reach my goals. I am confident that this will result in success - when, well only time will tell ;)

2) I would be branded as a crybaby in the academy and definitely my comrades would show a great deal of animosity towards me because, gosh darn it, I am special and should be granted special priviledges as female, even though I am able-bodied and can do everything else physical.

3) Even more dire, I am a police officer now and I can't get over the wall to assist my partner - he/she is in a compromising, life/death situation and he/she might even get killed. What good am I as an officer??

There are reasons behind senario training at the academy - that is why you need to pass everything so that you do not become a liability on the job - correct?

What are your thoughts?

[K9346]

Sure, you could contest it. I am also sure you could contest the whacked out crankster who beats you to a pulp.

I agree with you that this was an asinine statement.

[ifineed2]

I'm not a police officer, nor am I a woman, but if I were both I would very bothered by that statement. To me it's like saying, "don't worry there's an easy way for you to pass," and you won't do anything but attract unwanted attention to yourself. I know a LOT of 115 lb girls who can definitely pull themselves over an 8-10 foot wall with ease...I'd tell that girl to start doing pullups...and lots of them.

[jbyrjax]

Also not LE yet here, either... but I agree completely with your thoughts on the matter. In my not so humble opinion, different standards for male/female in a job such as law enforcement should not exist.

Keep working at it, get over that wall with ease... then make sure you let him know you don't need and or want an easy way out!

[Kimble]

But, as I see it - Contesting the wall is asinine advice, and I am dumbfounded that this advice was given to me by a man of his stature. Not everyone who climbs the ranks in an agency does so off of their intelligence and competency as an officer, unfortunately.

You are obviously intelligent enough to sniff out the B.S. in that statement, as well as realize the negative light you would paint for yourself among your peers. Good luck to you.

[Savcop]

I like the post. I can see that you appreciate fairness. As another person just posted, there should not be different standards in occupations such as LE.

I am in LE and work with many females. Some of them I comfortable with as back up and some of them I am not. The same can be said about some of my male counterparts. There are some females I would choose as my back up over some of the males any day of the week. In our society many people obtain their positions for the wrong reasons. This varies by individual and is definitely not a reflection on an entire group.

I applaud your determination for success. With a positive attitude like yours, you will find victory.

I certainly agree with your take on the subject and assumptions have no place in LE. Do not contest any part of training. Instead, be the example of how on any given day, anyone can win.

Never underestimate anyone.

[deputy x 2]

Train to get over the wall. Use the search engine for tips...there are lots of them.

Trust me...as a female you WILL have to prove yourself even if you get over the wall.

This job shouldn't be a gender issue...it's all about being able to do the job! NEVER EVER throw down the female card. Being treated as equal is the only path you can take.

[pappabacon]

In the few PAA I have seen there have been many women, short, tall, heavy, skinny, that got over the 6 foot wall faster that some of the men. Just need to keep building the upper body strength and practicing. There are places where you can go and practice. I'm not sure what part of Cali you are in, but I know of a few fences around the Riverside/San Bernardino area to practice it.

Don't give up!

[NYCTNT]

Lose the weight or gain the strength and train for it.

When I went through, believe it or not I didnt scale the 6 foot wall. I never climbed a wall in my life and then I practiced and flew over it the never physical agility test.

At the same time a little 5' tall girl with blond hair flew over it. I was so embarassed.

[CalGirl]

That is the worst advice I have ever heard. The criminal and your injured partner don't care if you are female.

And besides, the 6' wall is not difficult to get over, even for this 40+ year old female. In fact, I'm currently practicing on a 7' wall so that the 6' wall will always seem easy.

Keep working on upper body strength and hit the wall high with your foot. Eventually, it will be a piece of cake for you.

[43whtfemale]

Again, I will get over the wall, and believe me, I know what I need to do . . . I'm not out of shape and do not need to loose any weight thank you very much :rolleyes: It will happen!

This is about the advice I was given. :)

[FutureTrooper1]

The course is setup to test your physical ability to perform these feats if need be in the line of duty. If you cannot get over a 6ft wall for the pat then what will you do with an extra 25lbs of gear on you while your partner is getting beat on the other side? Practice to get over it, you can do anything with will power!

To simply contest it because females lack upper body strength is insulting. There are no excuses in a life or death situation.

[SHU]

If you are having trouble getting over the wall do not over look your core muscles. You will have to swing your leg up to get over and its your abdominal muscles that will be powering your leg up and over.

[PhilipCal]

Your feeling that the "Captain's" statement was/is assinine is 100% correct. In the course of my career, I heard many a ranking officer make similar dumb-a**&% assertions. If you're the one who's going to attempt the "wall", know this. Numerous Female applicants do it on a daily basis. You can recieve all kinds of advice on building and maintaining upper body strength. Follow the good advice, and work on the areas where you might be weak. Continue to disregard totally useless and stupid assertions such as the one you heard. Good luck.:)

[Irishhammer]

If you can't do the task with what god gave you, male or female, you shouldn't be in this job. Having a double standard is completely silly.

[RoadKingTrooper]

If you are having trouble getting over the wall do not over look your core muscles. You will have to swing your leg up to get over and its your abdominal muscles that will be powering your leg up and over.

Maybe "slow twitch muscles" ? Quads, abs, lats, biceps, triceps, lats?

[sassy7932]

I thought that this would be an interesting discussion for a thread and would like to hear feedback from other LEs on this one, so here it is:

An aquaintance of mine, who is a Captain in a police dept., told me that if I was having trouble getting over the wall in the academy that I should "contest the wall under the grounds that males have more upper body strength than females do and thus, being that I am a female, I have grounds to dispute or contest the wall"

Yes, I agree that by simple nature men do have more upper body strength, and for the most part they don't have hips like us curvy females do. So I think that yes, that statement is correct - by nature.

But, as I see it - Contesting the wall is asinine advice, and I am dumbfounded that this advice was given to me by a man of his stature.

1) His thinking automatically assumes that I will never be able to get over the wall. I am practicing everyday, lifting weights and going over technique to reach my goals. I am confident that this will result in success - when, well only time will tell ;)

2) I would be branded as a crybaby in the academy and definitely my comrades would show a great deal of animosity towards me because, gosh darn it, I am special and should be granted special priviledges as female, even though I am able-bodied and can do everything else physical.

3) Even more dire, I am a police officer now and I can't get over the wall to assist my partner - he/she is in a compromising, life/death situation and he/she might even get killed. What good am I as an officer??

There are reasons behind senario training at the academy - that is why you need to pass everything so that you do not become a liability on the job - correct?

What are your thoughts?

When I went to the police academy and a part of the initial agility test, we also had to go over the 6' wall. Some shorter people (females) were getting over it and some females and males couldn't. Getting over that wall is a science that requires technique. Im sure you are probably running up to the wall, stopping, and then trying to jump up, grab it to pull yourself over. Well, I will tell you how I did it. You have to let the momentum of your body take you over. Meaning, as you are running up to the wall, DONT STOP!! As you get closer, use that force to jump up, grab the top and use your abdominal muscles and legs to get you over. Once you do that, you will want to get over that wall everyday. Yes, just like the other members posted, some guys would rather have a female back them up because they know they will get the job done. There are some guys who are afraid of their shadow. I am a female and there are some females I know would run to a fight and there are some guys and females who would run away. In this profession, in order to gain respect, you have to be able to get there for your coworkers and if a 6' wall is the barrier between the two of you, you have to make it happen!!! Just because you are a woman, doesn't mean that you get special treatment. Now, the guys do look out for me and other females (because we are females), but they also know I can hold my own. If you contest the wall, you will hear it. As a new employee, I would not do it. Besides, you have to ask yourself the question, am I the only woman who couldn't get over the wall. It wouldn't be there if it weren't possible. You dont want to be labeled early on in your career. And yes, you would be branded as a crybaby in the academy and at your dept. Working in a PD is worse than a soap opera. And it may just be your friend the Capt. who starts the rumor. And if you cant help an officer on the street or they know you are scary, it will follow you for the rest of your career.

Keep working out, running, etc. and make it happen.