6 Police Officer Academy Training Tips

In this article, I am going to be sharing some police academy and training tips and other info that I am sure you will find quite helpful.

These are tips that have been passed down by the top police officers who have gone through it all. I hope you will find these helpful.

Tip number 1
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This is one that is probably going to sound a little strange but it\’s actually crucial to surviving the police academy.

It\’s called anonymity.

If you\’re scratching your head wondering if I\’ve totally gone off the deep end, let me explain.

In every police academy class, there are those who try to get attention. Some do it in a positive way but many do it in a negative way. And when that attention is received, the instructor, at that point in time and forever more, knows who you are and knows your name.

If you think that\’s good…think again.

He will be watching your every move, just waiting for you to screw up, especially if you tried getting attention by either being a class clown or a wise guy. And even those who try to \”suck up\” to the instructor end up with a bulls eye on their forehead.

The best thing you could do is reach the end of the class and when they call your name for graduation, everybody in the room says, \”who?\”

That\’s how you know you\’ve survived police academy and went about it the right way.

Tip Number 2
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Unfortunately, all Police Academy classes have what they call the \”golden boy.\” This is the one person who the instructor picks out as the future cop of the decade. Each class has its own way of doing this so it is impossible for me to generalize here. Some common golden boy picks include the guy who\’s the tallest, the smartest, the one who asks the most questions, the best dresser and so on. It varies from place to place.

If you feel that you are about to be elected that golden boy, do something, anything, to avoid it. Make a dumb mistake. Say something stupid. Trust me on this. You DON\’T want to be the golden boy of the police academy.

The question you\’re probably asking is, \”why?\”

There are several reasons.

At the top of the list, the rest of your class will despise you. If you think getting through police academy is tough on its own, try getting through it without one friend to turn to for help. Not only that, the pranks that they\’ll end up playing on you won\’t be fun.

Another reason you don\’t want to be the golden boy is because it puts a lot of pressure on you. Most golden boys actually either end up washing out or, when they hit the streets, make terrible cops for a number of reasons. The most common is that they are so full of themselves that they think they can do no wrong.

Finally, you don\’t want to be the golden boy for the reason I stated in the first tip. You want to remain anonymous. As I said, if they don\’t recognize your name when called for graduation, you know you\’ve made it through the academy.

Tip Number 3
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Well, just as you don\’t want to be the golden boy, you also don\’t want to be the \”idiot boy.\” This is the opposite of being the golden boy. And while it may make your classmates really like you, it will incur the wrath of your instructor the likes of which you have never seen.

Essentially, he will be all over you like a cheap suit. You won\’t get a minute of peace. You\’ll have to do extra work. He\’ll grade you harder than the others. And ultimately, what will happen is that you probably will wash out of the academy because it was so much harder than it had to be.

Okay…don\’t be the idiot boy. It\’s not worth it.

On the flip side of idiot boy, you don\’t want to be the smarty pants. Yes, some people who go to the academy are probably very smart. They may even have a law degree. You may BE that person. And maybe you DO know more than everybody else, even the instructor.

Don\’t let them know it. Don\’t feel the need to argue every little detail just because you KNOW you\’re right. This is going to put a bulls eye on your head from your instructor the size of Texas. You\’ll be graded harder than everybody else. You\’ll be held to a higher standard. Your life, in a nutshell, will be hell.

If you\’re really smart…keep it to yourself.

Tip Number 4
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Okay, this is probably one I should have shared sooner, but I kept it for later on in this series because I didn\’t want you to become overconfident. That\’s a dangerous thing. Why would this tip make you overconfident?

Well, the truth is, the police force that you\’re applying to needs you. That is a cold, hard fact. When they got approval for your class size, it was at minimum 10 cadets short of what they actually need on the streets for budget reasons. Let\’s face it, most police forces are undermanned.

So how does this help you?

Let\’s say you\’re having trouble with certain aspects of your training, such as firing a pistol. Your first instinct will be that you\’re going to wash out because you can\’t do it. Relax. As I said, the department needs you. In fact, they need as many warm bodies out in those cruisers as they can get.

As a result, your instructor will literally bend over backwards to work with you and help you master whatever it is you\’re having trouble with.

In other words…stop worrying. Worry is only going to add more stress and more stress will probably lead to more problems. Trust that they want you to succeed as much as you do.

Maybe more.

Tip Number 5
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If you value your life, let alone your chances of surviving the academy, you will seriously take this tip to heart.

Do not, under any circumstances, become the class \”rat boy.\” What do I mean? Well, let me put it this way. Surviving the academy takes teamwork…lots of it. You really can\’t get through it on your own. So if you see one of your class mates doing something he isn\’t supposed to be doing, look away. Do NOT become the rat boy.

Not only will your fellow classmates despise you for it, but the instructors will wonder how much you\’re going to have your partner\’s back when out in the field if you\’re ratting out people in class. Nobody wants to be partnered with a rat boy…NOBODY.

One other thing…

Remember the old adage, those who can\’t, teach. Your instructors are only human. And some of them, believe it or not, are actually teaching the academy because they washed out on the streets and their superiors figured that sticking them behind a desk was the best for everybody.

Learn to tell the difference between THAT person and somebody who really knows their stuff and you\’ll do just fine.

Tip Number 6
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This is going to probably sound like a duh statement, but do the right thing. That means, don\’t cheat on exams. If you really can\’t cut the material, then you probably don\’t belong on the street. Remember, somebody\’s life may depend on you.

Also, pull your own weight. Don\’t make your classmates have to cover for you. Be on time for inspection. Ask yourself this simple question before doing anything. \”Is this the right thing to do?\”

Another important tip. Don\’t get so wrapped up in the academy that you neglect the rest of your life, especially your loved ones. Your career is only ONE aspect of your life and shouldn\’t rule it completely. Learn to strike a balance between it and everything else in your life.

Finally, the academy is going to end someday. While it may seem like hell at times, it won\’t last forever and most of what you learn, outside of actual firearms training, is stuff you won\’t use anyway. When you hit the streets, that\’s when the real training begins…unfortunately.

So, suck it up and deal with whatever they toss at you. It WILL end.

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Category: Career
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