COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) - The Richland County Sheriff's Department is looking to keep the peace by making sure the people who protect and serve are in tip-top shape.
On Thursday, Sheriff Leon Lott teamed up with Richland Mall officials to cut the ribbon on the new Richland 1 Crossfit Gym at the Forest Acres-area mall.
Lott puts heavy emphasis on physical fitness with his deputies and finds that Crossfit training has helped his employees lose weight, and increase strength and endurance.
"Crossfit is designed to keep our deputies healthy," said Lott. "We want them to make sure that they not only maintain their health for themselves but also be able to go out here and do a good job."
CrossFit training is used by law enforcement, the military and professional athletes to gain comprehensive strength and conditioning. The program offers specific training that can be applied to job performance and utlilizes cycles of high-intensity, full-body type exercises that must be completed within a certain time frame, ideally, without any rest period.
"We're professionals at what we do and our job requires and Sheriff Lott requires of us a certain physical standard," said Deputy Scott Puckett, also a Crossfit trainer.
Puckett was first introduced to the training method while serving in the military in Afghanistan. He was hooked immediately, despite the fact he admits his first experience was extremely demanding, However, he adds those kinds of physical demands will only make deputies more effective on the street.
"It's not just about getting to the fight, if you will, or getting to the call," said Puckett. "It's about how to function and operate after getting there as well, and then recovering to do it again, time, after time, after time throughout a shift."
WACH Fox News anchor Brian McConchie was put to the test on Thursday by Puckett in his first experience with Crossfit. Check out the video attached to this story for a complete look.
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