Week 2

As the sun set on week 2 of the CSO’s 21st Session Deputy Training Academy, the stakes were raised. As of Wednesday, the 17-person Class is now down to 14. Two more resigned this week. One of the two left, vowing he was not giving up yet. He wished his Class good luck and promised to see them again at a future academy after dealing with an unexpected medical complication.

And then there were 14….

Most trainees were optimistic when asked how week two was compared to week one. They said they’re seeing progress in working together and functioning as a team. The difference was palpable; support and camaraderie were on display as trainees rooted for and encouraged their classmates when their determination appeared to falter.

“I think week two went better and smoother than week one,” said one trainee. “Everyone is getting in the swing of things and learning what we need to do. I love that we are starting to come together as a team.”

He would know. This was his week to serve as Class President. Each member of the Class will get a turn to show their leadership skills. Then, in a couple of months, the Class will formally vote and choose the person they want to represent them as their Class President. Every week they get closer to being the trained and disciplined law enforcement professionals they aspire to be.

“We have noticed some significant improvements, especially in their pushups and running times,” said Academy Director Lt. Tommy Mercer. “I see a lot of teamwork being initiated by different class members.”

The Class shaved two minutes off their collective run time. The progress is hard-fought. This week, the Class was “smoked” (another fun term for the sweat and tears burned during physical training on the lot) in between classes on report writing, problem-solving, privacy, controlling access to records, and how to correctly raise/ lower the flag, a privilege the Class must earn before being allowed to hoist the American flag at the academy each morning.

“Working on the honor guard was my favorite part, “said one trainee. “Working towards being able to raise the flag was good.”

Raising the flag is not the only privilege they earned this week. The city is closed on Monday for Memorial Day. That means the trainees will experience a rare privilege for a law enforcement officer: a 3-day holiday weekend. A benefit they earned on the lot.

Next week, they’ll focus on one of the most essential skills a law enforcement officer can have in their arsenal: interpersonal communication skills. The Class will learn the importance of IPC and de-escalation tactics before putting the knowledge into practice while acting out their first round of IPC scenarios in real-time.

Only 17 weeks to go, 21st Session!