When we talk about police reform, we usually talk about body cameras, policies, accountability, or use of force. Those are important discussions, but I think we're missing something much more fundamental.

What if one of the biggest police reform issues isn't what officers do?

What if it's whether they're physically capable of doing the job in the first place?

Let's be honest about what police work actually is.

A police officer may spend most of his shift writing reports, answering calls, directing traffic, or talking to people. But that's not what defines the profession.

The profession is defined by what happens on the worst day.

It's defined by the foot pursuit.

It's defined by the fight.

It's defined by dragging someone out of a wrecked car.

It's defined by wrestling with a violent suspect who has no intention of going peacefully.

It's defined by sprinting across a parking lot, climbing a fence, jumping a ditch, and then making good decisions while your heart rate is 180 beats per minute.

And while you're doing all that, you're carrying somewhere around forty pounds of equipment.

Body armor.

Firearm.

Extra magazines.

Radio.

Handcuffs.

Taser.

Medical gear.

Flashlight.

Everything that comes on a modern duty belt.

Think about that for a second.

We ask officers to perform athletic feats while carrying the equivalent of a loaded backpack.

In almost any other profession we would recognize that reality immediately.

If I described someone whose job required running, fighting, climbing, carrying weight, making split-second decisions under stress, and performing in front of the public, most people would assume I was talking about a professional athlete.

But for some reason we don't treat police officers like professional athletes.

We expect athletic performance without athletic preparation.

And that wasn't always the case.