The reality show "The Academy"

[CaliTheKid]

Let's not forget Compton

[hill billy]

someone on this forum was on the show....

Who was it?

[Ron-Solo]

LASD's consent decree is right there on the front page of the sworn recruitment page.

Halfway down the page

http://www.lasd.org/recruitment/index-sworn.html

FWIW,

The Bowman Consent Decree applies to the Promotion of females, not the hiring. The Department is trying to hire more females to get more eligible for promotion to comply with the consent decree.

On it's face, it does not restrict hiring. Until the budget issues, the Department was hiring both males and females as quickly as they could.

[Ron-Solo]

How close is this to resembling the actual sheriff's academy?

What parts are similar and what parts are different? Are some of the recruits really as slow (both mentally and physically) as the TV show makes them seem?

Unfortunately, the producers of the show focused on the knuckleheads because that is what they were looking for - ENTERTAINMENT. It is not REALITY as they try to make you think. It is unscripted, but the editing is always done to keep people entertained and coming back.

If you think any reality show is 100 % real, you are mistaken. The people doing the editing manipulate what you see so that when it comes to the "Tribal Council" or elimination time, you never really know what is happening.

This manipulation is one of the reasons the Department is no longer working with Fox Reality on this show. It focused too much on the screw-ups and not enough on the ones who 'made the grade' without any controversy and excelled at what they did. I have a couple of deputies from those classes working for me and they are excellent deputies.

[Ron-Solo]

You do realize that is the ACTUAL class at the academy and not fiction, right? Sadly it's pretty close. The Dept has relaxed it's standards on women and minorities due to their consent decree that these are the champions they're graduating these days.

Are you LASD? If so, what academy class? Please provide some supporting info for your statement above.

[hill billy]

Are you LASD? If so, what academy class? Please provide some supporting info for your statement above.

I am not. But I am familiar with who is being put through. Some of the weak people they are showing on this show are graduating and I am pretty sure I would not want them working for me. I understand the entertainment factor but some of these kids are just awful. As for the Dept's relaxed hiring standards, I have personally seen females fail sections of the PT that are listed as pass/fail and out and be passed through anyhow.

[ilbob]

I am not. But I am familiar with who is being put through. Some of the weak people they are showing on this show are graduating and I am pretty sure I would not want them working for me. I understand the entertainment factor but some of these kids are just awful. As for the Dept's relaxed hiring standards, I have personally seen females fail sections of the PT that are listed as pass/fail and out and be passed through anyhow.

Not much different than many other government jobs. Even the army has relaxed its standards to allow more woman in.

Mostly it has not been quite the disaster it might sound like it could become.

A lot of PDs have been forced to lower their height requirements, even though physical size is a major plus to being a cop.

[Ron-Solo]

I am not. But I am familiar with who is being put through. Some of the weak people they are showing on this show are graduating and I am pretty sure I would not want them working for me. I understand the entertainment factor but some of these kids are just awful. As for the Dept's relaxed hiring standards, I have personally seen females fail sections of the PT that are listed as pass/fail and out and be passed through anyhow.

As I said, the producers of the show slant things to make it entertaining. we had people in my academy class (#190) that struggled in the beginning but by graduation had straightened up and have had successful careers. The show only gives you want it wants you to see.

The negative slant is why you won't see a season 3.

And by the way, please stop giving your 'expertise' on the LASD since you are not part of it.

[Fire in the Hole]

As I said, the producers of the show slant things to make it entertaining. we had people in my academy class (#190) that struggled in the beginning but by graduation had straightened up and have had successful careers. The show only gives you want it wants you to see.

The negative slant is why you won't see a season 3.

And by the way, please stop giving your 'expertise' on the LASD since you are not part of it.

Do you think "The Academy" was a good recruitment tool for potential candiates, or did the severity of some of the episodes scare more away than it attracted? Adam12, Police Story, SWAT, the short lived 240Robert, and CHiPs paid off in aces as recruitment tools, but of course were much softer. CHiPs was of course Fantasyland, but it had an international audience, and sure sold like hotcakes.

[retired]

Yeah, I dont doubt that Antelope Valley may be busy, but I'll be sure to ask Homicide where they spend most of their time.

I wasn't questioning where Homicide spent most of their time; I was responding to the below statement of yours:

Antelope Valley? nah, real cops work Century or Lennox, even East L.A.

Since you didn't use a or a , I didn't know whether you were joking or not. My statement about the 'Stone, Lennox and Lynwood was just to show the same kind of thinking about those stations back then.

As far as I'm concerned, "real cops" work all of the stations. They may not have as many homicides as the ones you mentioned, but they have types of crime that is sometimes unique to their area; some that deputies at the other stations have not run across. Handling a homicide does not a cop make.

When I was in patrol in the late 80s and 90s, Asian home invasions were frequent in the Walnut and Industry areas due to the Temple that was built in HH and the large influx of Asians to the nearby communities. That is just one example, tho there are others.

Pitting the deputies of one station against the deputies of another to say who are the "real cops," does not doing anyone any good.

Now, if you were joking and just forgot the smiley, remember what Gilda Radner on SNL used to say, "Never mind."

[bluestaterebel]

I wasn't questioning where Homicide spent most of their time; I was responding to the below statement of yours:



Since you didn't use a or a , I didn't know whether you were joking or not. My statement about the 'Stone, Lennox and Lynwood was just to show the same kind of thinking about those stations back then.

As far as I'm concerned, "real cops" work all of the stations. They may not have as many homicides as the ones you mentioned, but they have types of crime that is sometimes unique to their area; some that deputies at the other stations have not run across. Handling a homicide does not a cop make.

When I was in patrol in the late 80s and 90s, Asian home invasions were frequent in the Walnut and Industry areas due to the Temple that was built in HH and the large influx of Asians to the nearby communities. That is just one example, tho there are others.

Pitting the deputies of one station against the deputies of another to say who are the "real cops," does not doing anyone any good.

Now, if you were joking and just forgot the smiley, remember what Gilda Radner on SNL used to say, "Never mind."

[retired]

Thank you sir!

[ilbob]

Do you think "The Academy" was a good recruitment tool for potential candiates, or did the severity of some of the episodes scare more away than it attracted? Adam12, Police Story, SWAT, the short lived 240Robert, and CHiPs paid off in aces as recruitment tools, but of course were much softer. CHiPs was of course Fantasyland, but it had an international audience, and sure sold like hotcakes.

Its not as if any of the other shows you mentioned were remotely realistic either.

[Fire in the Hole]

Its not as if any of the other shows you mentioned were remotely realistic either.

But that's not the point. Remember the "perception is reality" posts. My question is if "The Academy" served as positive recruitment tool, or did it turn potential applicants away?

[SVT-40]

What is the current attrition rate at the academy now? It seems more make it through than in times past. My class LASD#191 started with 106 Cadets. We graduated with 66.

Now it seems most graduate.