I have recently graduated from the police academy and a question I get quite a bit is, "What do I need to do to prepare for the academy?" Since I have no actual street experience, apart from the ride a longs I have been on, this is one of the few areas I can speak with some experience.
Now, all academies are different, but that being said, the academy I attended is one of the hardest out there...or so I have been told. I do not doubt that. So if you prepare with the following in mind, you will either be over prepared or just prepared enough.
I would say first and foremost you need to be in good physical shape. I do not know that all academies are as physically demanding as the one I attended, but better to be over prepared than struggling. You have enough to worry about during the academy without having to worry about being separated because you can't hack the PT. Give yourself at LEAST six months of preparation beforehand. Find out what style of PT your academy is focused on. My academy was very much into Crossfit type exercises and some running. There are other academies that are very heavy on the running.
I got a call from a friend of mine a few weeks back that was starting the academy and he asked me, "What learning domains should I study to get prepared for the academy?" Ignore the learning domains until you are in the academy. You will learn everything you need to know about the learning domains in the classroom and you will learn them correctly. For my academy I had to know The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics , Weapons and Handcuff Speeches, radio codes (200+ codes), exercise and stretching speeches, academy chain of command and the department chain of command all on day one. Believe me when I tell you, this is a hell of a lot of stuff to memorize. So just concentrate on that or whatever your Recruit Orientation Manual tells you to memorize.
Read the recruit orientation manual over and over again. Know it well. At one point the Tactical Sergeant asked one of the guys how many remedial instruction reports he could give us in one day. He answered, "Sir, as far as I know, as many as you want to, sir!" Funny, but incorrect. We did some cycles of discipline for that one.
Practice the academy protocols. You are going to look like a nutjob doing it, but it helps. If you can, get together with your classmates and practice this stuff ahead of time. Also get in touch with someone from a previous class and have them act the part of the Tac Staff and practice your marching, formations, etc.
Your goal is to know this stuff backwards and forwards and perform under high stress. The first time the Tac gets in your face, you will forget your own name. It happened to me, it happens to everyone. Just take a second, compose yourself and move on.
The first time I had to report to the Tac office I had to say two lines and the second one I couldn't get right to save my life. "Sir, Recruit FlyTrap request permission to pick up the academy clipboard and Class x's remedial instruction report folders, sir!" Now, I knew ahead of time exactly what I had to say and I practiced it over and over again in the classroom, but damned if I could do it in the office after the Tac staff rattled me a bit. The only advice I can offer is just stare straight forward and turn your brain off.
You will get used to the stress after a week or so and getting yelled at won't be a big deal. If you know your shit, the Tac staff will generally leave you alone. It is no fun for them if you know your memorization work. I guarantee you that after they yell at you for a bit and go back into their office, they laugh their asses off. Cops have a great sense of humor and some of the stuff that the Tac staff says is hilarious. DO NOT LAUGH! =)
Some of the worst moments are the funniest. I always used to think of that fact while I was getting hammered. That was the best part of the academy, after something horrible had just happened to you, going back to your fellow recruits and laughing your asses off about it.
The first week will suck eggs and every day it gets easier and easier. Do not quit, no matter what they tell you. They will tell you that you are the worst class they have ever had, that you should not be there and that you should quit now as you will never make it to the end. DO NOT QUIT.
While you are in the police academy, act accordingly even outside of the academy grounds. Do not go out drinking on Saturday night and get in to a bar fight. Drive according to the law. Do not pick up prostitutes while you are in the academy. That last one actually happened to one of my fellow recruits. Do not ever EVER lie to the Tac staff. They will find out and your career will be over. The academy is a grueling 5-6 month process. Don't waste all your hard work by doing something stupid.
Oh, and one more thing. For those of you that think I am exaggerating or think that you will worry about all this nonsense once you get into the academy, stand by. You will not be well liked by the staff and your fellow recruits, but that is ok. You won't be around for long, anyway.
