Health Blog

Cops and doughnuts...

I read an article on CNN this morning and it brought back the arguement about how frank we can be when asking someone to lose weight. Doug Kronenberg blogged on Ignite, about a similar article that he read where the CEO of a company gave an ultimatum to his overweight contractor to either lose the flab or lose his contract...

This article is about a police chief who was asked to resign because he sent out a rather stern memo to his staff titled - Are you a Jelly Belly?. Although the intent was to get his police staff to be healthier and more efficient at their jobs, some took offense to the memo and claimed that it was insensitive.

No one was singled out in the memo and the intent was to jolt his staff out of their sedantary habits. He also led by example and lost 190 pounds himself! Despite this, he was forced to resign.

I believe the chief was right in sending out this memo to his staff. In a profession where agility and being in good physical shape could be the difference between life and death, the chief was right in trying to promote healthy behavior. Read this article and tell me if you think what happened to him was fair?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/01/jelly.belly.ap/index.html

Published Nov 02 2006, 10:06 AM by Anonymous

Comments

	PrettyMonke03 said: I agree with you that the email was the right message that needed to be sent and his "resignation" was unfair. I think this is another example of people "taking the easy way out" - instead of the department recognizing the truth in the memo, the chief was ousted as being insensitive and a poor leader. This kind of reminds me of the "lawsuits" against the fast food chains for creating obese people - I don't recall the fast food chains ever saying "eat here or else" yet that's the rap they're getting. Obesity is becoming this huge epidemic and yet those same people are hearing the messages "quit smoking, start eating right, exercise more, etc" and just don't want to do it. The great thing about this Get Fit program, everyone here is actively trying to do the right thing! November 24, 2006 12:05 AM
	Garpike65 said: The message is entirely clear. The item that is missing is accountability. It is much easier to blame your issues/problems on others, then it is to look at yourself. I was in the obese category because I did not want to face the facts. To date, I have lost 57 pounds. America needs to wake up and become healthier. Our healthcare system is heading for a big train wreck if we don't take care of ourselves. There is no magic pill or system. Eat the right foods, become active, and you will be amazed at how you look and feel. November 24, 2006 9:49 PM
	starhawke13 said: I'm apalled that he was forced to resign... I understand morality needs to be high in such a demanding job, but I agree with Goward, he OWED it to his force to be open and direct. And he OWED it to the people as well. And he followed his own words by losing over 190 pounds himself, it's amazing!! I'm glad I don't live in Winter Haven, FL... November 25, 2006 4:01 PM
	Krissy said: I agree that it is unfair to make him resign as a result of that memo. After reading the article, it seems like there was more to it. They said they had previous issues with his "abrasive management style". ...but still, that was a message that his force needed to hear. It could only make them better police officers. It seems like the complaints of few really messed up a good thing since as a force they had lost 190 pounds. Last time I checked that was a good thing! November 26, 2006 10:11 PM
	robg said: I think you misunderstood the original article. The chief didn't lose 190lbs, he _was_ the 190lbs the department lost (when they fired him). It does seem there was a terrible over-reaction to his memo though. December 1, 2006 1:19 AM
	Molly said: I think it boils down to the fact that most people want to take the 'easy' way and that usually means blaming someone else and not taking any of the responsibility themselves, sad and as unhealthy as that is. Too often we've become a society that wants to blame someone else for our problems. We can suggest all we want to people about healthy habits but the bottom line is that until they make the decision to make some changes it won't really happen. January 22, 2007 2:50 PM