him on Saturday. I cleaned
my house on Sunday morning and then headed back to the academy at
noon for some much needed study time.
It was now the beginning of week seven and our
first in a two week driving course. Our classroom time was cut in
half and we headed to the speed track.
Before the training I thought I was a good
driver, but I learned an entirely new way to approach driving
situations at the academy. I never considered the difficulties of
police driving -- that is, having to turn the stirring wheel with
one hand, while holding a microphone in the other and trying to
speak into it, without getting everything twisted up. Like
everything else at the academy, the training was very intensive but
it was fun as well.
The phrase “stopping on a dime” had to have
been invented by cops. We learned to stop, swerve, and make “J”
turns, while being shot at with paintball guns. Our windows had to
be down so we could actually be hit if we didn’t do what we were
shown. It was fun, exciting and for some cadets painful.
Driving instruction made the two weeks speed
by (pun intended), but it didn’t stop our anxiety over the
approaching ninth week. We were facing our three hundred question
midterm test and our first practical tests, where we would have to
act out pretend scenarios with play actors. This was all “do or
die” testing. If we didn’t pass the midterm we would be sent home.
If we didn’t pass the practical tests we would be sent
home.
Oh yeah, we also had our first official POPAT
agility test. We would be given two times to pass POPAT, the first
was week nine, and then a final time one week before
graduation.
I stayed at the academy that weekend
practicing POPAT, studying, and applying ice packs. My stress
levels were at their breaking point.
Chapter 14 Testing Hell Week Begins
Monday morning brought our midterms. It would
take half the day. We all attended the previous evening’s study
session and I had a review at my breakfast table that morning. For
the first time two other tables were pushed closer and about half
our class participated.
It was a long and grueling test, but everyone
passed. Cadet Rodriguez actually did very well and was
twenty-second in the class. I was ninth and not very happy. Our
academic rankings were posted on the wall and I wanted more than
anything to be in the top five. I guess I should have been
satisfied that at least academically I wasn’t in last place, but I
was not happy.
Tuesday was POPAT and our schedules showed no
morning inspection. We were to be at the training field at 0800. We
double timed it over at 0745.
The Police Officers Physical Agility Test
starts with running a ninety-nine yard obstacle course. You next
scale a six-foot chain link fences followed by a six foot solid
fence, then drag a 165 pound "body' 32 feet and when you’re good
and tired you get to run 500 yards. Our POPAT testing lasted until
lunch. I didn’t know if I’d made it or not. The results would be
available that evening.
The rest of the day was spent on defensive
tactics to help prepare us for the practical tests beginning the
next day.
Twenty-two feet is considered the safety zone
for a suspect with a knife. Even when you know he’s going to be
coming at you it’s almost impossible to pull your gun and fire at
the twenty foot range. We were made to stand with our arms at our
sides, with an attacker twenty feet away holding a large rubber
knife. As soon as the attacker starts running towards us, we were
to draw our guns and fire (this is done by making the bang bang
sound). We were all stabbed. Twenty-two feet is not easy either but
at that distance we all managed to shoot. There is no room for
error.
I said "stabbed" not “killed” for a reason.
For the past eight weeks it was drilled into our psyche we would
never die. No matter what happened we were to continue fighting.
This mind set is what will save your life. People have died from
non-life threatening gunshot
my house on Sunday morning and then headed back to the academy at
noon for some much needed study time.
It was now the beginning of week seven and our
first in a two week driving course. Our classroom time was cut in
half and we headed to the speed track.
Before the training I thought I was a good
driver, but I learned an entirely new way to approach driving
situations at the academy. I never considered the difficulties of
police driving -- that is, having to turn the stirring wheel with
one hand, while holding a microphone in the other and trying to
speak into it, without getting everything twisted up. Like
everything else at the academy, the training was very intensive but
it was fun as well.
The phrase “stopping on a dime” had to have
been invented by cops. We learned to stop, swerve, and make “J”
turns, while being shot at with paintball guns. Our windows had to
be down so we could actually be hit if we didn’t do what we were
shown. It was fun, exciting and for some cadets painful.
Driving instruction made the two weeks speed
by (pun intended), but it didn’t stop our anxiety over the
approaching ninth week. We were facing our three hundred question
midterm test and our first practical tests, where we would have to
act out pretend scenarios with play actors. This was all “do or
die” testing. If we didn’t pass the midterm we would be sent home.
If we didn’t pass the practical tests we would be sent
home.
Oh yeah, we also had our first official POPAT
agility test. We would be given two times to pass POPAT, the first
was week nine, and then a final time one week before
graduation.
I stayed at the academy that weekend
practicing POPAT, studying, and applying ice packs. My stress
levels were at their breaking point.
Chapter 14 Testing Hell Week Begins
Monday morning brought our midterms. It would
take half the day. We all attended the previous evening’s study
session and I had a review at my breakfast table that morning. For
the first time two other tables were pushed closer and about half
our class participated.
It was a long and grueling test, but everyone
passed. Cadet Rodriguez actually did very well and was
twenty-second in the class. I was ninth and not very happy. Our
academic rankings were posted on the wall and I wanted more than
anything to be in the top five. I guess I should have been
satisfied that at least academically I wasn’t in last place, but I
was not happy.
Tuesday was POPAT and our schedules showed no
morning inspection. We were to be at the training field at 0800. We
double timed it over at 0745.
The Police Officers Physical Agility Test
starts with running a ninety-nine yard obstacle course. You next
scale a six-foot chain link fences followed by a six foot solid
fence, then drag a 165 pound "body' 32 feet and when you’re good
and tired you get to run 500 yards. Our POPAT testing lasted until
lunch. I didn’t know if I’d made it or not. The results would be
available that evening.
The rest of the day was spent on defensive
tactics to help prepare us for the practical tests beginning the
next day.
Twenty-two feet is considered the safety zone
for a suspect with a knife. Even when you know he’s going to be
coming at you it’s almost impossible to pull your gun and fire at
the twenty foot range. We were made to stand with our arms at our
sides, with an attacker twenty feet away holding a large rubber
knife. As soon as the attacker starts running towards us, we were
to draw our guns and fire (this is done by making the bang bang
sound). We were all stabbed. Twenty-two feet is not easy either but
at that distance we all managed to shoot. There is no room for
error.
I said "stabbed" not “killed” for a reason.
For the past eight weeks it was drilled into our psyche we would
never die. No matter what happened we were to continue fighting.
This mind set is what will save your life. People have died from
non-life threatening gunshot
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