Academy compared to Basic Training

[p7m8jg]

Depends on where the academy is, who's running it, and whether it is more militaristic or laid back.

I worked with guys who went through one that was set up like boot camp. I didn't think the one I attended was so physically and mentally taxing as they described theirs was.

Last academy class I instructed the students were peering out doorways at the break looking for instructors who had been waiting to shoot them with airsoft guns. Thought that was a little over-the-top but I wasn't in charge, just teaching them law and evidence.

So it depends where you go....

[saint7]

Major in english with a minor in criminal justice is what I have always been told when it comes to working in LE. It is all in the details as that can make or break a case. Just my thoughts from friends who have been in LE and the military.

[yzErnie]

Last academy class I instructed the students were peering out doorways at the break looking for instructors who had been waiting to shoot them with airsoft guns. Thought that was a little over-the-top but I wasn't in charge, just teaching them law and evidence.

Please explain the underlined. I guess I'm not understanding your viewpoint.

[BigStiCK]

It's hard to give an accurate boot vs. POST comparison without focusing on a specific department and/or academy. Some are pretty chill... others think they're BUD/S. When I went through the in-house academy for a large bay area department in '04, it was chill as hell because it was mostly civilian employees and SAR guys getting certified... we knew the instructors, and the instructors knew us, so it was like college... only with shooting, def-tac, EVOC, and OC.

Guy I know just went through the same academy about 1.5 years ago, and it's run like the a happy mixture of Marine Corps basic and Navy SpecWar training now.

I would say it definitely depends on the department you're applying for & the Branch/ MOS you are in.

I did Air Force Basic/ Tech School (Jet Mech) & had fun.

The CHP Academy was 6 months of mentally & physically draining 18-20 hour days. As mentioned above, the stress comes from the fact that if you do not perform/ fail a test or two, You're GONE. Simple as that.

It can and does happen in week 1 all the way up to week 27 (graduation).

The Academy Staff is constantly evaluating you. You may be a superb athlete & a master marksman, but if you cant handle the skid pan, or are sub-par in one of the MANY report writing evaluations- GONE.

The PT Staff are World Class Athletes. I had never seen an individual who could scream at me at the top of their lungs while simultaneously cranking out 200 pushups (the PT Staff LEAD in every exercise they have you perform).

There was no let up. 27 straight weeks. It was in no way "chill". Break-in was another 3 months of similar fun.

-Stick

[SVT-40]

Don't sleep with anyone,

That's numero uno right there! lol

Wait for your graduation party for that

[HeavyHitterPinoy415]

I had never seen an individual who could scream at me at the top of their lungs while simultaneously cranking out 200 pushups (the PT Staff LEAD in every exercise they have you perform).

-Stick

That's because you were in the Air Force. lol Sorry, I just had to...

[2nab]

This is kind of a silly comparison, without having more specifics. In my experiences, LE academy is and should be much more complex then a military basic training. Time frame is a factor. Different branches have different lengths and types of basic. 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc. None of which compare to 6 months or 6 1/2 months for LE Academy. Next issue is are we talking a Junior college police academy running 0800 to 1700 ish where basically anybody can attend (lower standards for selection and training) or are we talking about an Agency specific academy, where admission is highly selective and competitive (selected for job prior to admittance). Anybody who has gone through a LE hiring process and a Military recruitment can not deny that LE is generally much more selective of who gets hired. With that comes higher expectations for performance. While some LE academy's may be relaxed others are extremely rigorous and are designed to weed out and remove the less desireable. Some such as CHP and similar have over 30% quit or dismissed from each Academy class because they can't cut it (including many with prior military, etc). And that's after weeding through and denying tens of thousands of less desireable or suited canididates. I have worked with many CHP who are prior military and they all have no hesitation in relating how much more difficult CHP Academy was than any of their numerous military trainings, including Navy Seals, Army Rangers, Jump Schools, etc. It's one thing to be physically and emotionally abused for a few weeks, its another to go thru it for 6 months, only to get to the field and still be on one year probation (where many more still get removed).
Basic training is just that, basic, with a less selective roster of attendees, designed to instill some basic discipline, cooperation, and structure of command. A specific Agency's LE Academy (not some junior college or generic combined academy) is designed to see who the quiters and less capable are and get rid of them and to provide a more comprehensive training to the rest. Don't flame on my post. I'm not dogging military because they are truly my favorite people but the fact is that military "basic training" in no way compares in difficulty or scope to a reputable LE academy.

[Raider510]

That's because you were in the Air Force. lol Sorry, I just had to...

Actually I was thinking the same thing......

[HeavyHitterPinoy415]

Time frame is a factor. Different branches have different lengths and types of basic. 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc. None of which compare to 6 months or 6 1/2 months for LE Academy... the fact is that military "basic training" in no way compares in difficulty or scope to a reputable LE academy.

I dont want to "flame" your post, however having completed both I must include a decent reply.

The LE academy was definitely more demanding academically (for me), however your comparisons in training lengths brings no merit to the fact that military recruits must also complete occupational specialty training. In the case of my Marine Corps, there was also some physically demanding Marine Combat Training (MCT) squeezed in between. For some individuals, "basic" schooling can last upwards of 1-2 years.

Now for me, there was nothing too physically demanding about FLETC. Yeah ok...maybe the CHP (or other agency) might perform more PT than we did at FLETC however I highly doubt you were doing 20 mile forced marches with 50lb rucks in addition to lugging around a weapon system. With that said, I'm pretty confident that basic military training (absent the Air Force) CAN be more physically strenuous.

Furthermore, I've never completed BUD/S but I'm willing to bet that no police academy comes close to their drop-out/dismissal rate. In addition, I'm pretty sure that the average BUD/S graduate would PT most police graduates into the ground. So I'm not sure what your SEAL co-worker found more demanding about his CHP academy, but when I mentioned this to my SEAL co-worker all he did was shake his head.

[Invisible_Dave]

We graduate 43% of the people that start our academy as a general average. My class specifically started with 69, 28 graduated.

[Maton]

I've done both, hit the books. Do NOT take it as you're going to make it just because you participate. It's a job, and its a competition. Keep your eyes open, mouth shut, and hit the books. Depends on what PD SO, FED position you're going for, some are harder on the PT etc, but you should be ok. Dont show up a fatbody, take it seriously. Just because you have some experience in LE (MP I was an SP in the Air Force) will give you and edge in certain areas, but dont be the know it all jackass that everyone hates, because trust me, Law Enforcement in the Military is nothing compared to the everyday beat you'll endure as a regular cop. Military police you are dealing with a "controlled" population for the most part ( other enlisted people, officers, military spouses etc) when you hit the streets its drug addicts, felons, etc. Remember that.