The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that external loads have on vertical jump height and peak anaerobic power output (PAPw) of police officers during a vertical jump (VJ) test. Retrospective data of 47 (mean age 38.79 ± 7.97 years) police officers from a US Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) were used for analysis. VJ heights and body mass were used in the Sayers Peak Power Equation to calculate PAPw. Power-to-weight (P:W) ratios were then calculated by dividing PAPw by the officer's body mass. VJ height significantly (p < .001) decreased with load (unloaded = 49.49 ± 8.46 cm: loaded = 43.62 ± 7.68 cm). A Pearson's correlation showed a significant (p < .01) low-moderate (r = .387) relationship between absolute load (9.57 ± .94 kg) and change in PAPw, and a significant (p < .01) strong (r = .794) correlation between relative load and changes in P:W. This study supports previous research that suggests that occupational load carriage has a negative impact on VJ performance in police officers and may influence job performance, and that training programs may mitigate these negative effects.
Keywords: Tactical; body armor; law enforcement; police recruit; power.