Video: Testing Their Strength

With the threat of rain hanging in the air, new applicants for the Hyattsville Police Department stretched Aug. 15 at the Northwestern High School track as they waited to begin agility testing.

The agility test is the first step toward becoming an officer and includes a 1 1/2-mile run, sit-ups, push-ups and a sit-and-reach test. The applicants' scores are based upon age and gender, according to the testing facilitator Sgt. Greg Phillips.

Phillips, who took the test about 30 years ago, said about half of the applicants pass the first time, and most people fail on the run.

"Police departments have been giving these tests for decades, and it's just to make sure applicants meet minimum standards so that they can do the job and they can complete the academy, since there's a lot of physical demands of both," Phillips said.

Candidates who pass the test will move on to the police academy.