Academy Preference?

[popowannabe]

Do you have any comments on various academies in Southeast Michigan? I'm considering Oakland and Macomb County Police Academies.

Any thoughts? Comments?

Thanks!

Sherri :)

[MIDeputy]

I attended Oakland Police Academy. I haven't heard much about Macomb, but at Oakland it is very academic orientated. Some academies place more emphasis on marching, uniform inspections, the whole para-miltiary organization deal such as Schoolcraft. I was in the military so I didn't need to learn how to press my uniform, march in a straight line etc, I wanted to learn the fundamentals of civilian police work. One of the advantages of Oakland is that you get to do alot of hands on training at the CREST. CREST is basically a mock town complete with three houses, a motel, bank, and gas station / convenience store. Oakland is a little on the high-end price wise for pre-service recruits but I definitely recommend looking into Oakland.
Basically the ultimate goal is to become MCOLES certifiable, and all academies will help you achieve that same end result. So I guess when deciding where to go it's all a matter of what is closest to your home, what you can afford, and how you like the enviroment you're going to spend 16 or so weeks in.

Good Luck!

[northmi]

Do you have any comments on various academies in Southeast Michigan? I'm considering Oakland and Macomb County Police Academies.

Any thoughts? Comments?

Thanks!

Sherri :)

I am not trying to be negitive only looking out for you in the long run, if you are not tied down by a family go out west ( California, Washington, Texas, Colorado,ect) They are hurting for officers and pay you to go through academy. You will have a job after academy immediately. Here in Mi the job market is flooded with Officers. You will your spend money to get certifiable and then not have many job prospects afterward. :mad: Then your academy will not be accepted anywhere but Mi. Departments are picking up officers that have been laid off from other departments. West coast departments are changing the face of their departments with new officers of a more recent generation as policing is changing with a different generation boom to deal with. Mi departments will be hurting if they don't hire new recuits to train as retirements will leave them with a young/inexperience department.

Food for thought :rolleyes:

[Sabre]

I went through the Mid-Michigan Academy in Lansing (operated by Lansing Community College), so I'm biased. But here's what I understand:

The Mid-Michigan Academy is one of the only ones in the state (I think the only one except for MSP) in which you will box. That says something about thier training philosophy.

They also have the most intense and realistic trianing scenarios of any academy in the state (except for the State boys). For several nights as a recruit in the Mid-Michigan Academy you will drive a fully-marked patrol car (borrowed from a local agency) in public, on "patrol", and respond to staged emergencies and calls for service. The scenarios are very realistic and dynamic, and are as close to working as an officer as you can get without being there.

In the Mid-Michigan Academy your firearms training will be done by the Lansing Police Sergeant who is in charge of tactics and training for the Lansing Police's tactical team (the START team, as they call it). Training is done at thier range and is assisted by voluteers from the Lansing START team, as well as the Clinton and Eaton county tactical teams. Your firearms training will also include some very stressful scenarious involving simunitions fire.

Understand I have zero experience with any other Academy. I have however spoken to LEOs who do. From them I get the impression that Mid-Michigan Academy graduates are much further along the way to becoming a seasoned officer than thier peers from other academies. A local Chief, whom I know on a semi-personal level, told me that the officers that he has hired from the Mid-Michigan Academy exhibit initial performance levels that are much higher than graduates of other academies.

I understand the Mid-Michigan Academy is also more expensive that other academies, also. But I think it's money well-spent. I think they are starting another recruit class in June. Check it out.

EDIT: What the poster above said about jobs in Michigan is correct. Academies are turning out significantly more certifiable recruits than there are positions available. Every hiring process I've been involved in has more than 100 applicants for a single position.

[ScrapinPT]

I went through the Mid-Michigan Academy in Lansing (operated by Lansing Community College), so I'm biased. But here's what I understand:

The Mid-Michigan Academy is one of the only ones in the state (I think the only one except for MSP) in which you will box. That says something about thier training philosophy.


Nope the one @ delta college ... I think its north east ... they box also

[ScrapinPT]

I am not trying to be negitive only looking out for you in the long run, if you are not tied down by a family go out west ( California, Washington, Texas, Colorado,ect) They are hurting for officers and pay you to go through academy. You will have a job after academy immediately. Here in Mi the job market is flooded with Officers. You will your spend money to get certifiable and then not have many job prospects afterward. :mad: Then your academy will not be accepted anywhere but Mi. Departments are picking up officers that have been laid off from other departments. West coast departments are changing the face of their departments with new officers of a more recent generation as policing is changing with a different generation boom to deal with. Mi departments will be hurting if they don't hire new recuits to train as retirements will leave them with a young/inexperience department.

Food for thought :rolleyes:3



Exactly what Im doing

[popowannabe]

Thank you so much for the information. I had no idea about CREST. That sounds really cool! The Mid-Michigan program sounds fantastic- and I think the boxing program would be a great tool.

My husband just yelled in from the other room when I read him the post about moving to the left, er, west coast "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" :) So that's out of the question.

My dillema is this: Do I go through academy here in Michigan, when I'd really like to be an officer down in Ohio, but I live about an hour and a half from Ohio. Academy offered in Toledo is two semesters, half days each day. Up here it's one semester, full days. I have three-and-a-half year old twins who will be going through pre-school starting in August. Do I make the commute, hoping to get a job in Ohio? Or do I stay up here in Michigan, potentially losing out on the "certifiable" aspect in Ohio?

All of this, plus I'm 30 years old - and in Ohio, the cut-off for police officers is generally 34 or 35. In Michigan there is no age cut-off generally.

What do I do? (Yes, I know this is more than the original post. Sorry!)

Sherri

[northmi]

Once again mi academy is useless in other states :mad: . Far as boxing all academies box it is a mcoles regulation. I graduate in 2 weeks from academy in northern mi and we boxed two 3 minute rounds ( no hold bars ). We also have higher standards to pass physically than mcoles requires. We have a 2 mile run to pass in 15:30 otherwise school will not pass you along with higher push-up/ sit-ups. Also anyone will say they have the best academy no matter who you ask. Do your research on academies in both states and figure where you more likely want to be. Departments like a little bit older person I am turning 30 in a few months and I have had many more testing opportunities than the 19-22 year old recruits ( maturity/ life experience). Just remember michigan is poor with no money to give and jobs are few and far between. It will only get worst before it gets better

[hounddog]

popowannabe-
If you don't wana be here- do it in Ohio. We don't want your kind here anyway...(buckeye :D )

Go State (uhh, thats Michigan State to you, Bucky)
It should be a very exciting game this year between the two. But both OSU and MSU just HAS to beat that blue and corn team!
Man, I hate those guys. :mad:

[ScrapinPT]

popowannabe-
If you don't wana be here- do it in Ohio. We don't want your kind here anyway...(buckeye :D )

Go State (uhh, thats Michigan State to you, Bucky)
It should be a very exciting game this year between the two. But both OSU and MSU just HAS to beat that blue and corn team!
Man, I hate those guys. :mad:


I hate when my fellow Michigan citizens get brainwashed into being Michigan State fans ... poor poor people :D

[hounddog]

I hate when my fellow Michigan citizens get brainwashed into being Michigan State fans ... poor poor people :D

I'm no ordinary fan, brother! I once helped them win a Rose Bowl! Well, sort of - if you call 15 plays "helping" :D I bleed green, and p*ss white! I am what you call a true Spartan! You must be one of those scUM fans?? :p :rolleyes:

[popowannabe]

LOL - I prefer State to Meatchicken anyday... even though you guys robbed us of two national titles - football and basketball. I'm going to be doing alot of soul searching in the next few months to determine the best path. BIG decisions!!!

I guess Sheriff Hackel does the PT in Macomb's Academy. I think that's pretty cool. He goes to my gym. I just need to up my run time, which is always going to be my weakness. I can do my push-ups and sit-ups just as fast (if not faster) than alot of the guys. I need to get my short legs to RUN FAST!

We should do a meet and greet thread. At least then we'd know who was around!

Sherri :)

[Squader01]

Mid-Michigan's facilites and instructors are the best in the state. Ed Thomas, Bob Baldwin and the boys over @ LCC are the best in the mitten.

Let's hope they start an academy that crosses for Troop school. Or at least Lansing runs a Troop school, our state sucks ala-Jennifer Granholm(Who actually wanted to close Troop posts), who honestly sits in bars some nights in Saginaw, and fraternizes with men. She loves men, and alcohol, she's a lush, and the worst puppet I've ever seen in office. Our economy is literraly in the bottom 3 in the nation.

If Auto sucks, we suck, and everybody suffers. I thank my lucky star on my chest every night when I'm out on patrol, that I'm working.

Lansing PD will be taking 3-5 or so guys in the next 60 days, Meridan might still have that spot open for the guy who crashed(they want experience). Flint is hiring(B.A. only). Buena Vista will be taking some guys this summer(if you dare even work there). Good luck Michigan! :D

[Sabre]

Lansing PD will be taking 3-5 or so guys in the next 60 days

:eek: Where in the world did you hear that???? Last I knew they had about, umm, zero dollars for hiring!

P.S. I've noticed an error in your post. It appears you used the wrong word. You see, Lansing won't be taking 3-5 guys. They'll be taking 3-5 girls , qualified or not. (I speak after seeing the performance of the ones that they sponsored through our Academy. One was booted for poor performance)

[ScrapinPT]

I'm no ordinary fan, brother! I once helped them win a Rose Bowl! Well, sort of - if you call 15 plays "helping" :D I bleed green, and p*ss white! I am what you call a true Spartan! You must be one of those scUM fans?? :p :rolleyes:


Born and raised :D , but hey ... atleast were not Buckeye fans :rolleyes:

[Wile E. Coyote]

Born and raised :D , but hey ... atleast were not Buckeye fans :rolleyes:Notice how the smiley with the big grin is Green & White while the sarcastic one is blue?

[popowannabe]

Hey! Let's keep the fighting between UofM and State. You guys can't compete with OSU! :)

I'll keep you updated on the academy thing. Just deciding between here and Ohio.

Sherri :)

[Most_Wanted]

I'm suprised anyone is looking for a LE career in MI anymore. I'm from Saginaw and I have the majority of my family still living all over MI so I keep informed about whats going on there quite often. With so many cut backs, all I see are people moving out west and down here in the south for LE jobs. We have plenty available here and with decent pay, low cost of living and cheaper gas prices, you really can't go wrong. Anyways... Be safe and good luck, FYI Ohio isn't much better if you want to say "much better".. and...
GO BLUE!!

[ScrapinPT]

I'm suprised anyone is looking for a LE career in MI anymore. I'm from Saginaw and I have the majority of my family still living all over MI so I keep informed about whats going on there quite often. With so many cut backs, all I see are people moving out west and down here in the south for LE jobs. We have plenty available here and with decent pay, low cost of living and cheaper gas prices, you really can't go wrong. Anyways... Be safe and good luck, FYI Ohio isn't much better if you want to say "much better".. and...
GO BLUE!!

ahh go blue! lol. Where are you @ in SC ... Im looking to move south as soon as I get my degree. Im working as a reserve right now in the tri-cities so. Any advice would be awesome.

[Most_Wanted]

ahh go blue! lol. Where are you @ in SC ... Im looking to move south as soon as I get my degree. Im working as a reserve right now in the tri-cities so. Any advice would be awesome.

Depends on how aggressive an officer you are. I'm in Columbia right now, but I came from Greenville. If you're interested, give me some details and I'll throw out some recommendations to u. Where u at now, Bay City, Saginaw, Midland, Flint??