How small is too small for this job???

[towncop]

I've got a question that's been on my mind for awhile now. As some of you may have read in some of my postings, my wife is an attorney. She's at a point where she's not that thrilled with her career choice and is very interested in my job. I tell her that I think she's too small, lol, to be a cop and that even though I love my job, it's not for everyone. Nor is it that way she has it to be in her mind - it's not all fun and games away from the station house. We're looking to move to Florida in the next few months and haven't decided on the Gulf or Atlantic side. After I tell you about her, tell me what chance she may have of getting hired in Florida.

My wife: 5'4'', 95 lbs (very petite frame), 1/2 Hispanic, has a Bachleor Degree in History (I think, lol) and her law degree on top of that. Is she "too small?"

[Blnkgttrst]

I say you should test her. Give her a pair of cuffs and then make her try and get you under custody.

[gomets11]

I say you should test her. Give her a pair of cuffs and then make her try and get you under custody.

nothing like some good ole fashion wrestlin'

[FutureLE]

My wife: 5'4'', 95 lbs (very petite frame), 1/2 Hispanic, has a Bachleor Degree in History (I think, lol) and her law degree on top of that. Is she "too small?"

I wouldnt want my partner or the first one to pull up if I called for backup to be her size.. No offense, but 95lbs is tiny.. Imagine her trying to arrest me at 235 solid lbs-- or an average man at 180lbs

[wannabeenytrp]

I wouldnt want my partner or the first one to pull up if I called for backup to be her size.. No offense, but 95lbs is tiny.. Imagine her trying to arrest me at 235 solid lbs-- or an average man at 180lbs

Genki Sudo at 5'9" 155 ilbs beat Butterbean who weighs close to 350 pounds with a heel hold...

I would prefer to have certain female cops back me up than a lot of male cops that are out there.

[lsmalibu]

Genki Sudo at 5'9" 155 ilbs beat Butterbean who weighs close to 350 pounds with a heel hold...

I would prefer to have certain female cops back me up than a lot of male cops that are out there.

Exactly. Size isn't everything. I'd rate skill, then strength, then conditioning, strategy, then some other stuff, and then size way down on the list as the most important factors in winning a fight.

But I'm just saying that because I'm small, right?

[nadster011]

too small

with you being commissioned, i would demonstrate some basic defensive tactiics, then ask her to demonstrate seeing if she can gain control while using basic strikes,tactics..if you end up in a larger dept, chances are back up would not be too far off. also i feel alot of of law enforcement is verbal. You can gain control of about 99% of situations with good verbal skills. being that shes a lawyer, she might have a gift in this area...

[FutureLE]

Genki Sudo at 5'9" 155 ilbs beat Butterbean who weighs close to 350 pounds with a heel hold...

I would prefer to have certain female cops back me up than a lot of male cops that are out there.

Well a 5'9 woman that weighs 155 and is a kickboxer(or whatever) is not a typical woman and is no where near 5'4 95lbs.. That comparison is completely irrevelant.. So yes size does matter to a very big extent, even if only for the intimidation factor..

Example-- A guy gets pulled over knowing he has serious warrants and is trying decide if he will fight the PO or not.. If a 95lbs female gets out, he is a lot more likely to fight as opposed to a 220lbs man

[glock26rocs]

i would say law enforcement is 50% mental 50% physical.i dont think shes too small for the job,,,but she may be too small for that one time she could get really hurt...some officers do their time with no problem,,,,others arent that lucky.maybe shell find a spot in the dept to stay away from the serious harm.

[Pedro56]

It all depends on how one handles him/herself. We did away with height requirements in the early 80's here.

[McPhenius]

How are the "small" women at your agency? We have a couple and I know one in particular that can handle her own.

[K9 Police]

If she doesn't want the law degree, I'll take it!

K9

[JFrazier]

Hey, I would encourage her to try out if that is what she wants. Don't let her size be a factor in not applying. One of my acamemy classmates was only 4'11 and about 100 pounds or so, and she is doing just fine. It's what she has in her head that counts. Go for it!!

[chicubs]

Little ones

I teach Hapkido, and a few years ago when I took my black belt test, one of my partners was a little 90 lb 23 year old woman, and she could kick the **** out of anyone I saw. So long as she knows what she's doing, size really doesn't matter in most cases. I've seen some big ole boys I work with now (6'4, 250) get their asses kicked because they thought their being big was all they needed. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog...

[SHU]

about the wife

I work in a max state prison special housing unit. We do alot of cell extractions in my unit (five guys running in fighting massive 590lb bench pressing cons down to the ground and putting them in 4pts.) And in my unit we had a woman the exact same size as your wife last yr for a couple of months. She was tough with the inmates never backing down from a situation and talking trash back to them all day long. When the warden transfered her to general pop it was because he was ****ed she was doing so well in the SHU Program. He first put her in the unit in hopes that she would quit the job because she made a rightous complaint and scumbag wardens are petty ***holes so they do stuff like that. The prison I work in is no day in the park. It is a very violent and dangerous place. I have seen fellow Correction Officers (men) breakdown and cry due to the terror they have experienced. But this young woman could hack it. Maybe your wife can hack it as well? Does she have fire in her belly and can she stay ice cold and put a bullet into someone if need be? Can she stand the huge amount of BS racial politics that will come her way? Ask her these questions point blank, eye to eye, and if she says yes, then why not? When the sh$t hits the fan, a woman can pull the tigger just as well as a man and often catching less heat/politics in its aftermath. Tell her SHU wishes her good luck and do get into a strong kung fu program if their is one in your area. Wing chun is perfect for small females or arts that have alot of ground fighting. Do hundreds of push ups and sit ups per week and at least 10 miles of running per week.You cannot be out of shape with her small size! And if she does go into it you need to control your fear of "what is going to happen to my baby". Its going to be tough on you because as a man society tells us to take care of our woman. But you won't be able to do that if she's OTJ. She is going to have to do that herself and its gonna be rough on you man. Talk to her about your fears and get everything out in the open. Don't let crap fester inside of you and then blow up when somebody forgets to do some simple thing. Its a tough spot you are in because if you tell her not to do it she will resent you. If you tell her to go for it you are going to worry your *** off. Talk to her about this stuff.