Some guys just can't resist teasing him about his appearance in the 2006 and 2007 editions of Calendar Cops, a 12-month smorgasbord of New Jersey men in blue showing off their great guns and billy clubs. But Hopson — who stands at 5 foot 11, weighs 218 pounds, estimates his body fat at 4 percent and can leg-press a whopping 1,000 pounds at one time — takes it in stride.

"When you're built a certain way, teasing only goes so far," the 36-year-old married father of two says. "(I just say) 'That's funny, let's wrestle.' It stops right there."

Hopson says he gets a similar reaction from criminals and those not abiding the law.

"People know if they push you too hard or too far, they're gonna get hurt," he says.

That's one of the reasons Hopson is such a proponent of police officers being physically fit. Criminals, he says, tend to size up cops and react accordingly. "They're gonna run, they're gonna disrespect them" if the officer isn't deemed fit enough to handle the situation, he says.

Another reason cops should be fit is how unpredictable law enforcement can be, he says.

"Because you never know ... we can't predict a disaster," he says. "You have to be ready when 911 calls come in."

He believes "most cops are in decent shape, but not enough are in good shape."

Hopson says it's easy for cops to determine if they're in shape or not: "If you can't see under your gun belt," then Houston, you've got a problem.

It stands to reason that Hopson daydreamed a lot about becoming a bodybuilder while a boy growing up in Roselle. His family picked up on his interest in the sport (perhaps all those photos of bodybuilders and pro wrestlers lining his bedroom walls were a hint), and he was gifted with his first weight set and bench, hand-built by his grandfather.

"I always wanted to compete," Hopson admits.

He didn't, however, always want to be a police officer. He entered Montclair State University with an interest in becoming a doctor, but reality soon set in.

"Chemistry and I had nothing in common," he says. "I couldn't understand chemistry."

That's when he began contemplating law enforcement. "I wanted to belong to something professional," he explains, adding that he was also attracted to the uniform. A year after graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a minor in criminal justice, Hopson was hired by the Franklin Township Police Department. He's been there ever since.

In the meantime, though, he also realized his dream of competing in bodybuilding. By 2004, he was the recipient of several awards, including first place in the light heavyweight class and overall at the Natural Mid-Atlantic Bodybuilding Championship, and first place in the heavyweight class at Extravaganza in Hackensack and the South Jersey Bodybuilding Championship.

He's taken a break from competition since then, he says, because he wants to switch heavyweight classes.

"I've been trying to gain weight (muscle mass) since then," he says.

To accomplish that, Hopson's workout schedule — which he commits approximately 1 1/2 hours to six days a week — focuses on three to five exercises per area. He devotes two days to concentrating on his legs alone (quads one day, hamstrings and calves another), and devotes other workouts to his back and then arms, which includes biceps, triceps and shoulders. He also does some type of cardiovascular exercise — usually the StairMaster or swimming — one day a week.

He's a firm believer that exercising the whole body at once is "not a good idea — you'll run out of gas sooner or later." But it's crucial to listen to your body and not overextend yourself. What you do should "depend on how you feel," he advises.

Hopson first learned about the 2006 Calendar Cops when he saw an advertisement encouraging police officers to apply. He sent in a photograph, and that was it.

"(North Jersey) Media Group needed a picture right away and asked me if I was in shape immediately," he explains. He was, and the company used his photo on its Web site to advertise the calendar. "I started out as a poster child, and I stayed with it."

Plenty of personal appearances to promote the first calendar followed, including a stop on "Maury" last year that generated a lot of female attention.

"I started getting phone calls from women all over the country and Canada," he says. It was an experience his wife, Corrie, "didn't like at all."

Calendar Cops isn't Hopson's first foray into the print world, though. He appeared in 2002's The Men of Muscleweb calendar, and has had photographs and features in Exercise for Men, Muscle Mag and Muscle & Fitness magazines, the latter of which featured him on its cover in August.

His exposure in fitness magazines is due entirely to his determination and perseverance. He writes to the publications, telling them about himself and including photos in the hopes of one day accomplishing another one of his dreams: "I would like to break into acting."

Hopson said he became especially interested in the entertainment field when he was flown out to California for the Muscle & Fitness cover shoot, and would "jump on" an opportunity if it presented itself. He's interested in television dramas such as "Law & Order," but ultimately would love doing advertising for an athletic company like Nike. "That's really what I want to do."

Maybe, too, Hopson realizes he may soon reach a limit in the bodybuilding field.

"There's only so much you can do when you're in your upper 30s," he says.

More information on Calendar Cops is available by calling North Jersey Media Group at (973) 569-7695 or by visiting www.calendarcops.com.