Tips for POST academy?

[Notorious]

Notorious, Bobby, and SCD...

You got it wrong, I am not Poindexter. I am Booger, the dude who's actually cool but offbeat who got categorized as a nerd wrongly.

[Samuelx]

For parity's sake, here's me:

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I forgot the most important academy advice EVER:

1. Don't fall asleep during lectures.

2. Don't go out drinking on the weekend and brag about 'being a cop'

3. Don't go to Vegas and get arrested.

4. Keep your car, briefcase, and locker LOCKED!

[Notorious]

Don't tell anyone what you are doing while in the academy. That includes not telling academy mates and staff about your personal life and not telling anyone else about your academy life. Keep yourself as low profile as you can on both fronts and don't try to mix them. It's not worth the trouble to untangle them later.

Don't do anything fun for a while. Not worth the risk. The most dangerous activity you should partake is maybe a dinner and movie with a steady girlfriend or wife. Any drama you have will bite you hard. Give up 6 months of fun living for a life of adventure. It's worth it.

[CAglock20c]

This is all some really great advice guys I appreciate it. Just wish I could already get started!

[Notorious]

No you don't. It's quite an experience and one that I am glad to have gone through but one that I will never want to go through again.

[fullrearview]

Just have fun, keep an open mind, and learn. As with anything in life, it will be as good or as bad an experience as you make it.

[jeep7081]

Just have fun, keep an open mind, and learn. As with anything in life, it will be as good or as bad an experience as you make it.

Agree. I enjoyed it when I went through.

[MEU(SOC)]

To the OP:
I'm assuming you're self-sponsored? Like others here, I graduated #1 at my Academy and was also the Class President too. It's a good goal of course, but it's not everything. Did it factor into me being hired? Maybe...but not as much as you might think. It's not a bad thing, but it's not the cat's meow either. For me, I'm a very driven person who doesn't accept failure well. So, I work hard to achieve personal goals based on what I think I'm capable of. Like you, my goal going in was to graduate as the best recruit possible. Once I started the Academy, the personal goals faded and took a back seat to team work. I put a lot of effort into helping others, because I could. I didn't need help from anybody, because I had the natural abilities needed in that environment...so I turned some of my attentions to pulling others up to my level. I suggest you do the same, if you're in a position to do so.

Realistically, graduating #1 helps you but I think you're better served focusing on learning things for YOU...not for getting hired on a resume bullet point. Being a recruit is your time to fail, understand why, try again, and get back after it. Enjoy the training. Enjoy the camaraderie. Have fun. If you're doing well, then help others. Be a leader if you can, but remember that peer leadership is difficult. You're all equal as recruits, even if you're a Team Leader or Class President. Be careful with how you attempt to get others to do your will if you're in a leadership role. Best way to be a leader in the beginning is to lead by example. Let your personal traits speak for themselves.

Get used to PT. Get used to studying. Get used to politics. Get used to having the right mindset at all times, even when it's difficult to do. It's all there for you to experience. When you're done, get hired. Use your Academy cert as a springboard to qualify for Academy grad openings or Reserve positions. Get your foot in the door with an agency. Then see where it takes you. Have fun and enjoy it while you can!

[Samuelx]

Damn, you guys are making break out the whole group pic!

[Petro6golf]

Dont focus on being #1, just try to be closer to the top of your class. I graduated #19 out of 36 and I got hired.

Be friendly with everyone. 1/2 of your class will be normal people and the other 1/2 will be weird, annoying, uninformed or lazy. Be nice and helpful to everyone even if you cant stand them. That one guy that you cant stand and you let him know it, your future background investigator will find him. Trust me.

Dont make excuses for anything. Even when you shine your boots and shave and the DI corners you about not shaving or shining your boots; just appologise and tell him you have no excuse. If you attempt to explain the reason why you have a patch of hair or unshined boots you will be placed in a "verbal" corner that you cannot get out of.

Study your LD's. You shouldn't be going drinking with the guys or playing xbox after a long day at the academy.

Dont focus just on the academy but also on your future career. You should always think "what would my future department think about what I just said or did."

Get rid of Facebook and delete any questionable calguns posts. They will find it and you will have to explain it.

[Notorious]

LD's... when I went through, they were KD's... goes to show how old I am.

As for people in the police academy, my friend put it very well in that he compared it to the military boot camp in that you will find some of the best people there and you will also be absolutely amazed at how stupid and ignorant some of the people are who are aspiring to become cops. In the end, it's how much they improve and become a good cop that matters. The ones who don't change or improve, hopefully, they don't get hired on and even worse, get promoted above you.

[SeanCasey]

A little late to the "nerd" party, but I was #2 in academics, and to help the class collaborate I setup a website and forum for us to use to discuss various topics (I put together a killer tutorial on how to polish boots, lol). Of course once the tact. staff got wind of me being a computer guy, I became the guy who setup the presentation computer for instructors and assisted in setting up the testing stations for the LD tests, as well as helping with other computer issues. Outside of that I tried to fly under the radar as much as possible.

A few tips based on mistakes made by other classmates:

EVOC:
1: During the high speed pursuit segment, do not drive so slow that the "bad guy" has to stop and wait for you to catch up
2: Also during pursuit, don't get lost and make the suspect vehicle have to come back for you.
3: Don't mess up on emergency lane change and take out ALL of cones and then get caught laughing about it.

At range don't do these:
1: Adjust your hearing protection with your weapon hand... while holding a weapon in that hand...
2: Don't rush drawing from holster so much that your gun slips out of hand and flys a couple feet down range
3: Don't have poor muzzle discipline, especially when holding a loaded 12-gauge

During "chemical weapons":
1: Do not abandon your partner in the gas house and come running out the entrance in a panic
2: Do not have a near panic attack before entering the gas house.
3: Do not scream a bunch of profanity while doing the course after getting OC'ed.

General:
1: Do not come screaching in the parking lot in a hurry because you are late for formation.
2: Avoid getting caught up in cliques or drama.
3: Do not get butthurt and demand an apology from tact. staff for something they said.

And this one is my one notable mistake (we all make 'em):
1: Do not slip and fall getting up from doing pushups on the grinder and bust your chin open. LOL don't ask! Some of my classmates still refer to me by a nickname I picked up after that...

PT:
If you finish a non-formation run well ahead of the back markers, don't rest, go to the backmarkers and help motivate them.

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All in all, I have to say, I actually miss the Academy. It was a good time and a great experience. I'm still applying and working on the getting hired part, but it is only a matter of time (so far only one person from my class has been hired). My only regret is not going for law enforcement earlier and when the economy was better.

[retired]

3: Do not get butthurt and demand an apology from tact. staff for something they said.

I cannot even imagining a cadet doing that. If someone had done that during the time I went thru the academy, they would have been gone right then and there. Unbelievable that someone would have the chutzpah to do that.

Sean, you accidently forgot to include that name your classmates gave you in your post. How about sharing that with all of us. I'll of course never call you that.

[SeanCasey]

Not a chance! What happens at the academy, stays at the academy!