Annapolis Capital Punishment

Billed as the largest free arts festival in the country, Artscapes which took place this last weekend, is a great event for people of all ages. Spread across much of the Mount Royal and Bolton Hill area of Baltimore, it's easily accessible by Light Rail. CP was treated to live music, street performers, a ferris wheel ride, lots of good food and enjoyed viewing the fabulous "art cars". Yeah--it was HOT! But there was plenty of fresh lemonade.

One thing I noticed was the very strong police presence. Officers usually walked in trios, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes gathered in larger groups on corners. I noticed that all of them wear bullet-proof vests--and that's gotta be hot, but I also observed that many if not most of the officers were....to put it politely, portly. In other not so polite words, fat. Some of them were obese. I can think of many reasons why police officers should be trim and have little excuse for letting themselves turn to adipose tissue. I can think of many reasons why we the people do not want to see police officers so unhealthily overweight. Some of them looked as if they were truly suffering and struggling to walk the sun baked streets. On the other hand, I guess the bad guys don't mind if cops are fat. I was told by a state police officer that some police departments have height and weight requirements and others don't. The state police do. Have you ever seen a fat Md State Police Officer? I have not.

I believe that many if not most police departments have gyms or free access to gyms. Most police officers are eligible to retire much sooner than other folks. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to see officers in good shape, and certainly when they're between the ages of 18 and 45. I wonder if this has something to do with air conditioned cruisers and th loss of beat-walkers?