Week 16

The sun is beginning to set on the 21^st Session of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office Basic Deputy Academy. With 16 weeks down, the remaining 11 trainees have only two more weeks in their journeys to full certification; a finish line some trainees are eagerly anticipating.

“[I feel] pretty bad*** all over. We’re ready to graduate and get out of here,” said one trainee.

“I feel pretty good about how far we’ve come,” said another. “There’s definitely still things to perfect in the long run, but I feel pretty confident otherwise.”

Perfecting skills was the goal of this week’s lesson plan. Candidates completed practicals and scenarios designed to test everything they’ve learned over the past 16 weeks (defensive tactics, cell extractions, vehicle extractions, etc.) The week ended with their “ELJ Practical,” which is a practical review of all of the processes and forms through the whole arrest process from intake to release.

In addition to passing their final practicals, the trainees also had to complete their final LawFit test. For the third and final time, instructors timed each trainee as they ran 1.5-miles and completed an obstacle course. Then the instructors counted as the trainees completed as many bench presses, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and sit-and-reaches as they could. The goal is to mark the trainees’ progress throughout the academy. Ultimately, each trainee had to meet or surpass the standard determined by their gender and age. One trainee will certainly not lose sleep over the results of his LawFit assessment; he once again broke a CSO academy record by completing the obstacle course in only 46 seconds!

Way to 21^st Session, only 2 weeks to go!