Police department uses treadmill desk as recruiting tool

After 25 years of answering 911 calls, veteran dispatchers in Santa Clara, California are excited about coming to come to work again after a new treadmill desk has been installed.

"We're always trying to get on this. We always take turns as to who goes on first, who goes on second," said dispatcher Lee Jett.

The treadmill is designed to only move up to 4 miles per hour.

No incline, no jogging, just walking and talking to people who need emergency services.

Manager Judi Dziuba says it was an easy decision.

"Research does show that people with sedentary jobs are at a higher risk for health problems," Dziuba said. "Being able to exercise during your shift, it's a huge benefit to us to not have to be sedentary for that long."

Some dispatchers can walk up to 26 miles during a shift.

The Sunnyvale Police Department is using the fitness desk as a recruiting incentive.

"If a dispatcher can do that on duty and get 10 minutes of walking in their daily life, the city gets behind that and realizes it's not only a benefit to the employee but also the city itself, cause we're going to have healthier happier employees,." said Dziuba.