Academy

[AliciaKaye]

Since you all want questions I will start writing what I think and wonder about....since I'll probley be needing all the help I can get. What would be the hardest thing in the academy? And as far as PT goes, what do they grade and how do they grade? What all do you need to be able to do before the academy to make things easier? I will be starting in August and all the suggestions are appreciated. Have a good one...alicia

[Don]

Alicia,

I would be willing to bet that you have more concern here than you really need to have. Don't get me wrong, it is not "a piece of cake," but if others can do it, there is no reason to think that you can't. Preparation does help though.

First and foremost RUN. LOTS. Then run some more. Build up your heart/lung capacity.

Work on upper body strength. Pushups. Lots and lots of them. Weight training is very good.

Academies vary on what they do with PT. Some are "high stress" some are "high academic" and some are "high physical training." But they all have to meet certain minimum standards, set by your state in all three.

Best bet - If you are going through as an "open enrollee," contact the academy you will be going to and find out what they suggest. If you have been hired by a department and are going through that way, talk to your recruiting officer. Of course that person may tell you to talk to the academy.

Don't spend a lot of time WORRYING about your academy. Just do some physical preparation for it.

One more thing. I don't know how old you are, or what your level of education is. But if you have been out of school for a while, you might want to practice studying and taking notes.

Good luck!

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
6P1 (retired)

[Niteshift]

Asking what is the hardest part is kind of like asking what's the best flavor of ice cream........opinions will vary. Some people may find the law part easy, but find the crime scene part hard and vice versa.

One thing that worked for me in Army basic training, when things got a little harder than I prefered, was to look at it this way: Thousands of people have already done this, it didn't kill them and they passed. There is no reason in the world why I'm not as capable as every damn one of them.

Good luck.

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Niteshift-
Perseverate In Pugna

[Bake@125]

Alicia,
I would say that the PT, academics and the stress are all difficult. Some find one more challenging than another- you know/will know where your strength lies.
I don't know what kind of academy you are going to (stress/casual) or if you were ever in the military but there is one piece of advice I will offer, one of the hardest "things" about the academy is learning to work with people of all different backgrounds and opinions(cops are naturally stubborn and opinionated- in my stubborn opinion http://www.officer.com/ubb/smile.gif). Your academy will most likely demand teamwork, loyalty, discipline, honor, integrity and courage- the exact things you'll need to embrace if you plan on making police work a lifelong career. Long after the academy is over you'll have to deal with the pressure to lose discipline, get lazy, become cynical and you will always have to deal with the "different" perspective of your peers, supervisors and your county/district attorney's office. If you are luck enough to make it, and if you truly love this job then you'll soon find a frustration in watching other officers do/not do things that you would never have thought possible to dishonor our proud profession. Be a leader, a motivator and never, ever compromise your integrity. end rant now.
Good luck, God bless.
Bake

[FLLawdog]

The academy I went to here was more mental than physical, so book learnin' was key. The physical training had to be done on our own because we only had a couple weeks dedicated to training.

It's hard to give a stock answer when academies from state to state vary so much. Best I can give ya...learn what they teach you, and if you need anything else see if it's pertinent and go do it on your own.

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FLLawdog
"Never try to teach a pig to sing...it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

[Blue_Chameleon]

All I can say about the Academy is to take it one day at a time. I felt overwhelmed since day one and I learned to take it one day at a time, one step at a time.

PT wise, just start running, pushups and situps. Everything else will fall in its place.

[BlueAngel]

Congrats on getting in the academy!
I am currently in the academy in PA and loving it, I was very worried about the PT, but its nothing. The two things, being a female, you'll have to work on if your not already doing it is your run (1.5 in 13 min for us) and your upper body (our bench is 70% of your body weight for female) But once you get it down keep on it, I can run my 1.5 in 8 min and bench is 105lbs (I only weight 117lbs) Also remember to enjoy it, after all it is what you plan on doing for the rest of your life right?

[unhappycop]

I see a few people here telling you to work on your upper body strength (as I mentioned in reply to your last question). Good advice! LOL http://www.officer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

The best thing I can say is pay attention in class. I found the best way to learn the important stuff is to NEVER LEAVE A CLASS NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT WAS ABOUT! A lot of recruits think you can "fix it in the mix" later, when studying for exams. Believe me, you are better off understanding it before you leave the lesson, because sure as s**t the "study group" will get an incorrect interpretation 2 months later when studying in the common room, between x-files and dawson's creek.

Again, not a flame at women in the job, but I noticed this was particularly prevalent with women and traffic law. Probably because a lot of women couldn't care less about "the car stuff". With blokes it was domestic violence stuff. http://www.officer.com/ubb/frown.gif

Your class mates may think you're a teacher's pet or a swot, but YOU are the one who has pass YOUR exam and then KNOW YOUR JOB when it counts, out on the street!!!!!

Don't focus too much on the PT - Learn about being a cop first and foremost.

[spurlock]

Well, it all depends on what state your in. All LE academies are different and the PT, Penal codes, etc... are different. Try not to stress too much. Most LE academies are geared toward military boot camp. In the end , it all works out to be one big "mind game". If you pay attention and attempt to do what and when they say to do it, then you'll be fine! Most of it boils down to "attention to detail"! I've personally gone through military boot camp, the military's LE academy and most recently of 5 years ago, I went through KY's LE academy in Richmond. I've made it through 3 and I could go again if I had to. It can't be too tough! Just remember, "ATTENTION TO DETAIL" and you will be okay! Good luck!!!

[DeputyDan]

Hi. I just got out of the Academy last week. There was a large focus on PT and academics with a little bit of stress tossed in there. None were too bad really. I am used to studying from school, and I was in decent shape when I showed up. The stress is adaptable, and from a previous job I was used to getting yelled at anyways.

Run, run, run, and when you are sick of running, run some more. The same with pushups. Thats basically what I did to prepare, along with a few sit ups tossed in there.

Good luck. Take it one day at a time and keep your mind on making it through and you will be fine.