"Everything here happens for a reason..."
No truer words were ever spoken about preparing us for the mentality for this experience and training.
You can find justification for about 99% of everything that occurs at the academy and more than likely your experiences will hold true for any academy that you attend.
We had memorization assignments that were required almost every day. This was a well hated practice at as it is something that is not done at most academies. Memorization usually consisted of penal codes, vehicle codes, general statutory laws, definitions, etc. At times it could be very helpful and useful, other times it was just a major distraction from the actual class material and activities.
Senile: You may have to deal with staff who may be "out of date." Deal with it now and accept it. You're going to get staff that are like that and you are going to get into encounters like this anyway. Just take it for what it is and figure out how to win.
Understanding hypocrisies:
Firearms instruction: Understand, please, I beg you, UNDERSTAND that the training you received at the academy in regards to your service weapons were the absolute basic, core, MINIMUM! You need to seek further training from other sources. Do not just rely on what you received at the academy you will be ill equipped in dealing with the dangers of the world today.
Intelligence: I see a lot of cadets towards the end prepare to sell their learning domains. I suggest you keep them. Already I feel some of the most basic of information slipping out of my memory. I am not constantly doing it anymore, I am no longer applying it 8 hours out of the day, so naturally it is dissipating. I do what I can when I watch TV, easy dropping on the general conversation, watching people drive when I am operating a vehicle, and try to pick out violations and remember what code, or where it would generally be in the penal code. Please do the same.
I haven't been to a ton of interviews yet, but out of the few I've been to almost half of the interviews would eventually bring up a PC and ask me to recite the elements.
Get as much time with the staff and administration as you can. Those one on one moments are awesome (usually unless you're getting yelled at), and you will at times learn more in five minutes with a veteran than spending 10 hours reading an LD, I AM NOT EXAGGERATING.
Failing tests or scenarios.... A, don't do it. B, if you do, do it, understand why. Don't put the blame on others, and don't beat the crap out of yourself. This happens. Think of it as the equivalent to a consensual encounter going bad and then your sergeant chews you out for it. Ok, that sucks, too bad so sad, but suck it up move on, there will be other days. Or think of it like this; you're talking to a suspect and suddenly he punches you in the face. Are you just going to self implode and cover your face and hope he doesn't hit you again or are you going to tap into that Type A persona and let that little cave man come out and demolish this now without a doubt criminal? HULK SMASH!
Don't get out of shape: There were plenty of cadets who came out of my class who I still consider not fit for duty. They simply do not have the strength, agility, stamina, or coordination to handle what is required of us. Yes they passed the POST battery, and the PT tests, but getting just passed the minimal standards is not an accomplishment for this line of work. It may be a personal achievement and those who do reach their goals are to be commended and should be, but consider this...
Keep running, keep pushing the earth down, keep jumping. Go hiking with a nice load out. Make sure you are getting your body used to carrying extra gear/weight on it.
The vast majority of inmates work out all of the time. They plan, plot, conspire, strategize their new goals all day every day. It isn't so much that all of them are evil dirt bag scum suckers, part of it is just that they have nothing else to do, or that is the main mentality taken on by the majority of the population at the facility. These guys (and gals) are training, it may not be as sophisticated or refined as yours but they are still training. You may have advanced level training that you sought immediately after graduating or heck maybe even while you were active in the academy. But there is no substitute for the fundamentals. That may be all they have, but a master of fundamentals is far more dangerous than a renaissance man. TRAIN.
Oh and get your conceal weapons permit from your respected county. Don't tell them that it's because you want to protect the innocent against the evil please... You are of a different mindset now (hopefully), you are a trained observer. You are a civilian when you are not wearing that uniform and badge. Witness first, defender of the earth second.
More to come later...
