Chattanooga Police Department patrolman Bryan Wood, center bottom, leads CPD cadets in physical training exercises at the dpartment’s training center. The cadets participate in physical training three times a week every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.CLASS MAKEUP• One female cadet• Four black cadets• One Asian cadet• One Hispanic cadet• Out of the 24 cadets enrolled in Chattanooga police academy, the youngest is 21 and the oldest is 39 years old.PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS• 1 1/2 mile run completed within 14 min 36 seconds• 25 push ups in a minute• 29 sits ups in a minute• Cadets must be able to bench press 82 percent of their bodyweight• Complete a vertical jump of 18 and a half inches• Run 300 meter run in 60 seconds
Tennessee police officers vs. populationFour rows of mostly young men with buzzed haircuts stand at ease with their hands clasped behind their backs inside a training room on Amnicola Highway. Only one woman stands among them, her hair neatly swept back in a bun.
After 20 weeks of training, the cadets who meet the standards will become the newest members of the Chattanooga Police Department by early summer.
Police Chief Bobby Dodd said he hopes to increase the number of officers on Chattanooga streets. The department is authorized to have 470 officers, but has 12 openings due to retirements, people quitting and terminations which has left the number of officers at 458.
The department has an agreement with the mayor and council members to increase the number of officers to 500 by 2015.