With police departments facing a hiring crisis, some policies are being loosened to find more cadets

Faced with gaping vacancies in its police force and concerns about public safety, the Philadelphia Police Department had to think creatively about how to get more candidates in the door. The answer? Fewer pushups.

The city's move to lower requirements for the entry physical exam at its police academy is part of a broader effort (nationally) to reevaluate policies that keep law enforcement applicants out of the job pool amid a hiring crisis.

To close the gap, policies on tattoos, previous drug use, physical fitness, and college credits are all being reconsidered. Los Angeles is offering housing subsidies. Other departments, like Washington, D.C., are offering signing bonuses of more than $20,000. Several states have expanded eligibility to noncitizens, while others have changed the minimum age of officers to 18.

A law signed by Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro at the end of last year lowered the physical fitness requirements applicants are assessed on from situps to timed distance running and pushups in Philadelphia. The city, buffeted with high crime rates like other big cities during the early pandemic, has struggled to fill vacancies in its police department.

Under the new law, candidates can pass their exam at a lower threshold than previously required, now in the 15th percentile of the standards the force uses to test its cadets. Depending on your age and sex, it's the difference of about three to five situps or pushups or a few minutes added to the 1.5-mile run.

Philadelphia is already seeing the payoff of its amended fitness entry exam. Since the law took effect, 51% of people testing have passed, compared with 36% previously, said Capt. John Walker, who handles recruitment for the department.