LAPD Hires Dietician to Improve Officers' Health
By Hugh C. McBride
If Rana Parker gets her way, Los Angeles's "thin blue line" is going to be getting a lot thinner.
Parker, who was hired in July 2007 as the Los Angeles Police Department's first dietician, works with recruits and veteran officers to help them incorporate sound nutritional choices into their daily lives. The LAPD is believed to be one of the first major U.S. police departments to bring a full-time nutrition adviser on board.
In a May 31, 2008, Associated Press article, writer Shaya Tayefe Mohajer outlined the primary philosophies behind Parker's programs:
"I joke with them that I'm not the food police, that I'm just here to give them information, education and hopefully give them motivation to help themselves," [Parker] said.
By targeting recruits, Parker is trying to instill good eating habits before the rigors of the field make it difficult to find time for balanced meals. She's provided one-on-one counseling to about 90 recruits, taught a nutrition course to about 500 others and made presentations to more than 400 officers.
"They may be sitting in their car and all of a sudden they need to go for a sprint, which might end in a fight as well," Parker said. "They need to be in good shape so their body can handle that kind of stress."
According to Capt. Joseph Curreri, who has served with the LAPD for almost 35 years, Parker's efforts aren't only resulting in a slimmer force - they're also helping rid the department of one of the most prevalent negative stereotypes about police officers.
"We don't eat doughnuts anymore," Curreri told Torrance Daily Breeze staff writer Brandon Lowrey. "We eat croissants."
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