We are now in the second week of the academy and are getting into a routine. Monday was our first day of physical training (PT) so we got right to it first thing in the morning. Our class was joined by the Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and the two deputies in charge of the academy plus the deputy who directs the PT so we had lots of support. This impressed me because I did not expect these men of higher rank to run with us recruits, yet there they were with us on the same level. We started with some exercises that reminded me of high school football practice and then ran 1.5 miles around the Sheriff complex. We stopped a couple of times during our run to do push-ups in a parking lot and crunches on a sidewalk. Getting a healthy dose of road rash on my hands definitely made me feel tougher!
This was the first time we had to come with our PT and regular clothes, and all of the stuff we need for classes, lunch, etc. Well, I thought I forgot my dress shoes and knew it would be unacceptable to wear my black and silver Nike's with my dress pants in class. So luckily I had enough time to run and get another pair of shoes to avoid that embarrassment. I later discovered that I actually had placed my shoes on top of some lockers, which made me feel better because I had in fact prepared properly. The moral of this story is to check and double check that you have all of your stuff. This is a serious job and unless you have all of your tools ready to use, you will fail. I will not make this mistake again.
I think we are all getting settled in and getting to know one another much better. We are continuing more classes this week, which is all we will be doing for a little while along with PT. The classes have all been really good and have taught us characteristics such as leadership and ethics that will not only be important for now, but for the duration of our careers. I am very impressed by the knowledge and experience of our instructors. Many of them have been with Jeffco for 20 or 30 years, which tells me that working in this county is great. We are able to take breaks every hour, which is nice plus we get a lunch break. There is a cafeteria on site, which serves food that is much healthier and better tasting than what I could put together. I think most, if not all of us are eating healthy meals and snacks, which will help our bodies endure the training and work we do. I know I am eating better and that nutrition is important for everyone. One thing that stuck out to me so far is the importance of having a good attitude. In thinking about this, a positive attitude will help us as law enforcement officers to be more proactive in serving our communities and to enjoy the work we do day in and day out, which is of course why we chose this job.
Ryan
