Week 1 FTO

Well, I graduated. Now I have 12 weeks of field training (FTO). I started last Tuesday. I am working 3rd shift (5 p.m. - 3 a.m.). My FTO (field training officer) is pretty cool. He is very laid back and doesn't yell. Our first call of my first day was to a suspicious character. When we pulled up we found a car with 3 occupants sitting along side the road. The front passenger got out of the car and began to run from the other officer on scene. The car then began to leave. We blocked the road and the car stopped. My FTO said "go check on the other officer". So I took off running in the fresh snow. By the time I got to the other officer, she had the guy in custody. Then I went back to check on my FTO. He had the driver out of the car. I got to take the back passenger into custody since she was a female. We found marijuana on the driver and in the car. We ended up arresting the driver because he also had a warrant. The rest of the calls were babysitting the people down in Plainview. I was sent to a shots fired call because they had 3 females that needed searched. There doesn't seem to be many females out east so I will probably become a professional at searching. One day last week I also got to search a CI (confidential informant). This is an actual strip search. Believe me, it wasn't the funnest thing to do. I worked a juvenile shoplift, quite a few domestic violence reports, a runaway, and have done a few traffic stops. This week I work Tuesday and Wednesday and get Thursday and Friday off. Then, Saturday I start phase 2. I'll be working 4th shift (9pm - 7 a.m.) with Wed, Thurs, Fri. off. I'll be in this phase for 4 weeks.

I have uploaded all the photos from graduation to my Picasa online photo album. You can get to them by clicking My Photos under my Favorite Links to the right. If anyone has any good photos please e-mail them to me at tgrimes@cox.net. I really don't think I have one good photo of Justin and I where we are both looking in the same direction. I'd like to get a good one to frame.

2 Days Left

It's been a pretty fun week so far. Things at the academy have been pretty laid back. Tuesday we took our group photos. Below is the WPD photo. I am on the 3rd row, 3rd from the left. I think they found the worst picture that they took and printed it. Then Deputy Chief Moses came in and taught racial profiling and we had a brief review of our city government. Then we went downtown and took our individual photo. Then today we had our final PT assessment. I did 48 sit-ups (in one minute). I did 41 in my initial assessment on day 1. I did 40 push ups. I did 21 on day 1. Since we had some crappy weather move in yesterday, we didn't have to do the cooper run (1 1/2 miles) and we didn't have to do the 300 yd dash. Then, we had our Chaplin and shrinks in. WE had our final exam. I got a 92%. Then in the evening, our families (mom and dad came) showed up for an Emotional Stress seminar. The main topic was officer suicide. Mom and dad got to tour the facility. Not that it is too exciting. It is pretty much an old elementary school.

Below is some info regarding graduation. Basically directions to the parking lots on campus that we can use.

Graduation Week - 4 days to go

Just wanted to update you on my FTO schedule. My first 2 weeks I will be on 3rd shift with Sat., Sun., and Mon's off. This means that I will be working Christmas Eve and Christmas. Then I switch to Phase 2. I will be on 4th shift for 4 weeks with Wed., Thurs., and Friday's off. That means I get New Years Eve and New Years off. Then, in Phase 3 I will spend 4 weeks on 1st shift with Sun., Mon., and Tues. off. Then, I will go back to 3rd for my final 2 weeks for my final phase of FTO. Here is a picture of Justin and I that I took this morning before we headed to class.

End of Week 22

Well, one week left. This next week is mostly administrative stuff to finish up the academy. We get to start wearing our tan uniforms on Monday. As for last week, Thursday we had Juvenile Intervention. We also had our blood drive for the battle of the badges. Then that night, Justin and I went into Hutchinson to watch Paige in her 3rd grade Christmas program. It was really cool. I hadn't been to anything like that since I was in 3rd grade and I had never been on the audience side before. I actually had a lot of fun. Then on Friday we spent the day at the range doing our tactical shooting. Since there were 33 of us out there we didn't get a lot in. We did get to shoot the tazer at an actual target. One of the range masters put on a suit and acted out a scenario. I was the one that got to deploy the tazer. We did more shooting from the ground and shooting if you are disabled. We did some drills where we shot, reloaded, and pulled the gun out of the holster with only one hand. Then, Friday night, the Sheriff's department group took their Sgt. and FTD out to dinner. It was cool hanging out with those guys. Their Sgt and FTD are really cool. On Saturday we had our class party. We went out to Blank's house that is a few miles south of Augusta. For the most part, the usual people showed up. There were a few people that showed up that surprised me. I think we all had a good time. Here are a few pictures. The first pic is and and Smith. The second one is me and Maxfield. The last one is me and Weidner.

Middle of week 22

Well, since I have lots of stuff to talk about, I decided to blog early this week (and mom was bitching about me not telling her about getting tazed). So, Monday we had our tazer training. I made sure I jumped in when they did the group one. Basically there were 3 of us. They hooked one probe (alligator clip) to my right hip. Then they hooked a clip to Richardson's left hip. Weidner was in the middle and we all held hands. We told him we only wanted to take a second. He hit the button and everyone said it sounded like choir practice. I felt most of the pain in my left arm. I just remember grabbing Weidner's hand with my right and trying to get her to let go of me. I don't know how many of you have accidentally been shocked by an electrical pug, but it feels like that but you don't let go. We only did a 1 second ride, but it felt like 10. Advice: if you ever get a Tazer aimed at you, comply!

Today we had our defensive tactics review. Basically we reviewed everything that we have done all 22 weeks in 8 hours. I feel like it got ran over by a truck. Also today, Deputy Chief Lee came in and gave us our assignments. I am going East. The basic boundaries for east side are...North boundaries: 13th to Rock, then up to 29th. East boundaries: city limits to the Butler county line. South boundaries: City limits over to 135. West Boundaries: 135 up to Kellogg then over to Hydraulic. Yes, we have Plainview. Little interesting info...there have been 3 officer involved shootings while we were in the academy. One was out west where an officer got shot. The other 2 were out east. No officers were shot in those...2 were pepper sprayed. I should know my FTO schedule by Thursday of next week.

Justin got his badge today. So, next Monday we are all wearing our regular uniforms to the academy. maybe I'll figure out how to use the timer on my camera and get a picture of us.

End of Week 21

We had a short week this week. On Monday we did our mock trial. Judge Paul Clark was our judge. I am pretty sure the guy has been doing this for 100 years. I didn't get to testify (not real heart broken). On Tuesday we had our 11th test. I got an 89%. Then we had Career Development, Racial Profiling, and EJustice (records software). Then Tuesday night, a bunch of us got together and had a game night. It was tons of fun. Then Wednesday, I worked from 4pm - 12:30 am. The first 4 hours I spent at the Jail. The first hour or so I got to roam around with a rover. We went into a few of the pods. I went into one of the pods where the Deputy sits right out there with the inmates. I could never do that. Then I spent the last 3 hours in Master Control. This is where they control all the doors, elevators, and all access points. I was down there for about 30 minutes when they had an incident in the pod I was just in. I guess they couldn't get one of the inmates to go to his cell. I am not sure of all the details, but the guy I spent the 1st hour with called down to master control and told me that the incident in that pod was all my fault. Not sure of all the details, but the guy ended up getting 5 days lock down for the incident. For the next 4 hours I was up in dispatch. I ended up spending the night with the EMS dispatcher. It was pretty interesting. It was interesting to see how you get one call from 911 and EMS, Fire, and PD all get dispatched. The room gets pretty crazy when something big comes in.

Then on Thursday (Thanksgiving), I went with Justin to Hutchinson to be with his family. He had warned me about his crazy family, but I really didn't think it was any different than any other family. Here is a picture of us that Justin's daughter Paige took.

We were pretty lazy the rest of the weekend. Thursday night we set up the x-mas tree. Friday went to see Four Christmases with some of our friends from the academy. Then on Saturday I drug Justin to the Arts and Crafts Fair at Century II. We got some new x-mas ornaments. Then that night we went cosmic bowling with Rebecca and her family. Then Sunday we just did some chores around the house.

We have 2 weeks left of the academy. This week is going to be pretty fun. I got tazed today. We have a full day of defensive tactics on Wednesday. On Thursday we have the blood drive for the battle of the badges. We have tactical handgun on Friday. Friday the sheriff's department is taking their instructors to dinner so I get to tag along to that. Then Saturday is our class party. But you will have to wait till next blog for all of that.

End of Week 20

I'm about a week behind. Week 19 wasn't too exciting. Monday we had grade crossing accident investigation and HAZ-MAT. Tuesday we had the day off for Veterans day. Wednesday we had NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and MCT (Mobile Computer Terminal). We also had our 10th exam. It got an 87%. They posted our grades before this test and I am in 3rd. Thursday we had Child Abuse and Critical Incident Team. Then on Friday we did our Crime Scene practicals. I had a different role in each of the 3 scenes. I was the detective, then I was the photographer, then I was the Supervisor.

That weekend (Nov. 14-16), Justin and I went to KC for the weekend. We figured it would be our last chance to get out of town together for a while. I got to eat at Manny's. We went to Bass Pro Shop and the Legends Mall.

Week 20 (Nov. 17-21) - Monday we were out at the range. We did some stuff with the shotgun, but most of the day we did handgun drills. Tuesday, in the morning we had NIMS (National Incident Management System). Then in the afternoon we were back at the range. We got to do a tactical course. That was fun. We got to use cover, transition from shotgun to handgun, drag a body, and shoot multiple targets on the move. Then we got to use the $50K simulator downstairs at the range that only works every now and then. Luckily for me it works when I was down there. It was tons of fun and I got to yell at a screen in an empty room. Then I got to shoot some people. Wed. we had Interview and Interrogation practicals. We just got to do more interviews from the Crime Scene practical from last Friday. Then we had our classroom portion of Active Shooter training. Thursday we had Crime Prevention, Conceal and Carry, and Drug Test Kits. Then on Friday we got to go back to Longfellow for Active Shooter training. This training was lots of fun, very stressful, but fun. When we got to our sim scenarios at the end of the day, I only got shot once...in the ass, again.

Here is the info on our graduation:
Date: December 12, 2008
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Friends University, Alumni Auditorium, Davis Hall, 3rd Floor. (clock tower building)

End of week 18

Well, this week we finally got to gear up and do some rides with our uniforms. Monday we had some classroom stuff. We learned about crowd control, 911, and court testimony. Also, Deputy Chief Moses came in and gave us all our badges. Then, Tuesday, I rode up North with a community policing officer. Usually they work special community projects in their area, but we ended up making quite a few calls. We got 2 cases. Both were for vandalism. I got to help out at my first injury accident. There were 9 people transported code green. Three of them were children. I know what you are thinking, was it a bus, nope, it was a suburban packed to the max.

One Wednesday, I rode with one of the female officers up north on 2nd watch (11 a.m. - 7 p.m.). We weren't nearly as busy as Tuesday. On both of these days the officers let me drive. They worked the radio and other buttons. I just drove. The only case we pulled on Tuesday was a burglary report. I got to write the report and I am pretty sure she turned mine in.

Thursday, I rode 3rd watch out west (5 p.m. - 1 a.m.). I didn't drive, but I was OK with that. I got to work the radio all night. We made 2 traffic stops and I got to radio those in. I did much better this time than I did on Halloween. We got sent to 2 domestic disturbance calls. At the end of the night we assisted at a cutting (which was in the news the next day...that was cool). We were at the cutting location for a while. Then we went to find the suspect. One of the other officers found her and we were there just after she was taken into custody. She decided she wanted to go to the hospital so I got to ride in the ambulance with her. We spent a while at St. Francis. Then it was time for me to get off so we headed back to the station.

Friday, I rode 4th watch out west (9 p.m. - 5 a.m.). It was a pretty slow night. We did some club checks. We also had the pleasure of investigating Vegas Video. We immediately go in and head to the booth area. The thing about those "booths" is that you do not have an "expectation of privacy". Therefore, we are able to just go busting into the rooms without consent. Luckily, there was no one there. I didn't want to see any of that. I saw enough of it on the floor and walls. I still feel dirty. I finally got to drive after 3 a.m., but there was no one out. We were about done when we were dispatched to check the welfare of someone sleeping in their car at Meridian and Orient (the railroad tracks there). When we got there, dude was passed out in his car sitting in southbound traffic. Probably went to sleep while waiting for a train. I tapped on the window and he didn't wake up. So, I opened the door and was hit with a wall of alcohol stench. I told him to turn off the car and take the keys out. He did. Then one of the other officers took him into custody. I did get to do a search of the car. Then, since it was after 5 a.m., they sent another officer to pick me up and I was toted back to the station. Since I made first contact with the guy, I have to call in a tape. It will be my first.

This week we have more classroom stuff. We have Tuesday off due to the holiday. Then on Friday, Justin and I are headed to KC for the weekend. We figured we might as well get a short vacation in now before our schedules get all jacked up. I am looking forward to Manny's.

End of Week 17 - Practical Week

This week was the most stressful week I have ever had in my life. We did hands on practical situation stuff all week with actors.

Monday and Tuesday, our group did car stop training. The first few were your average daily car stop. Then after that they just got crazy. The hardest part is stopping the car, and getting everything in the car where you want it to be in order to get out of the car (spot lights, lights, grabbing your flashlight, seat belt, putting the car in park, turning your portable radio on). I was the primary officer on 3 car stops on Monday. One went off without a hitch. Then they told me to come back and look in the car. Dude had a gun sitting right on the dashboard. Talk about tunnel vision. Then on Tuesday we learned how to do felony car stops. So, most of Tuesday had crazy scenarios. Some people got beat up, some people got dead. I think I was about the only one in my group that didn't get into any physical altercation.

Then on Wednesday, we did building search. We use Longfellow Elementary at Main and Clark. It is a very old abandoned elementary school. Most of the day we learned the fundamentals. Then we did some light scenarios. Then at night, after dinner, we got to do scenarios with simunition rounds. These are kind of like bullets, but they only come out of the gun at 450 FPS (330 MPH) and the bullet is plastic with a colored substance in them. Our groups first scenario was without sims. We were trying to get a vagrant out of a building. While we were watching him, his buddy jumped out of the back of the room that we hadn't cleared yet. He ran past all the guys on my team and tackled me. I had my gun out, but was having trouble reholstering (he didn't have a weapon so I couldn't shoot him). So, I just rolled over on my gun and let him beat the crap out of me. I just have a bruise (that i can feel, but no one can see) on my jaw. Our next scenario was with the sim guns. We begin clearing a room and start taking fire. We ended up barricading the dude in a back room. We made entry into the room and took him into custody. No one got shot in this one. Then we had our last scenario. It involved clearning a long hall with small rooms and a multi-purpose room. We cleared down to the multi-purpose room. Then they (3 guys from my team) left me and another guy in the hall to cover their backs. When they got inside they realized they couldn't handle it by themselves so they called us in. We were in the entry way when I took my first shots. Hit me in the thighs. I screamed out a lot of expletives, as I was taking cover. Then, next thing I know, I am being grabbed by my collar and drug backwards. I thought it was one of our guys until I took a bunch of close range rounds into my vest. Then I dropped and spun around and started shooting him. I ended up taking one round in the shoulder. Then I got back up and went back to my position. At that point I took a few more rounds in the thighs. Basically it was a cluster at this point. Oh yeah, did I mention that the shooters in this practical were the WPD/SGCO SWAT Team. They can shoot a gnat off a horses ass. They also had long guns instead of pissy little handguns. So, in the end, all but one member of our team got lit up. Below are pics of what sim rounds can do to ya. The first 3 pics are from that night. The last 2 are taken 24 hours later.

Oh yeah, I also took on to the ass, but I am not putting that pic up.

Then, Thursday night we did Domestic Violence scenarios. We used different rooms in the training academy as our residences that we went to. Each one was very interesting. I got to wrestle 2 chicks and one guy into custody. I only had to kill on person and I never got killed. I think I did pretty OK on these scenarios. I was getting my confidence up by the end of the night.

Tonight I have a 3rd shift ride along down south. It's Halloween so it should be interesting. Tomorrow, Saturday, I have the Newton volleyball tournament. Then Sunday I am going to be lazy. I've also got to get my schedule back on track because we worked nights all this week and next week are are back to days.

End of Weeks 15 & 16

Week 15 - Monday we did the pepper spray. Tuesday we had Officer Survival. We got to hear a lot about line of duty deaths and watch a lot of very scary videos of officer assaults. Wednesday we covered Interview and Interrogation. Thursday we had our 7th test. I don't remember how I scored. Then we covered Building Search lecture. Then the rest of the week we learned about Domestic Violence.

Week 16 - Monday we had night fire qualifications. We learned how to shoot in low light and no light conditions. We also learned to shoot with while using our flashlights. I qualified on my 2nd try. My instructor says I have focus issues. Then Tuesday I was up on the 6th floor with investigations. I got to sit with the Larceny group. Wednesday, we had the class I had been dreading since day one...ground fighting. We learned the basics of Brazilian Jujitsu. After we learned some stuff we got to fight the instructors for a while. I got punched a lot in the ribs and I took a few shots to the face. Then by the end of the day we were fighting each other. By the end of the day, I ended up actually liking it. I kind of got over the issues I had with being so physically close to other people. Thursday we had our 8th test. I got an 86%. Then we covered Pedestrian Stops and Prisoner Transport. We each got to handcuff someone and shove them in the back of a police car. I don't know if you have ever been in the back of a police car, but there is no room back there. Then on Friday, we had our Traffic Stop lecture.

This next week should be pretty eventful. On Monday and Tuesday I'll be at the KS Coliseum doing our traffic stop practicals. I hear they take all the bad things that can happen and put us thru those scenarios. Then on Wednesday we do our building search practical. On Thursday we do our Domestic Violence practicals. Then on Friday, Halloween, we get to do a ride along. I am riding south side, 3rd shift (5 p.m - 1 a.m.). It should be an interesting week.

Then on Saturday, November 1st, I am playing in the Newton volleyball tournament.

Pepper Spray Day

OK, so pepper spray is the worst thing I have ever experienced in my entire life. First they give you a nice spray across the eyes. Then, you have to run the gauntlet. It consists of getting a suspect to the ground, beating on some pads, beating the dummy with the baton, then handcuffing. All while my eyes were burning like an MF. So, lucky for me, one of the guys had his camera there with video. You will see as I am trying to reholster my gun when the pepper spray kicks in. Then, I beat on Villegas, then I give a good slap to my Lt. Then J. and Justin finally lead me off to water. Here goes. This will be pretty entertaining.

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/Coldblue_01/?action=view&current=sept-oct08220.flv

End of Week 14 - EVOC

This was one of the best weeks so far. We spent Mon., Tues., and Fri. up in Hutchinson at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC). Monday we spend most of the day, in the rain, driving thru some slower courses. Working on our precision driving. We did a 90 deg turn at 35 MPH. We did a forward slalom course, then we had to do it backwards. It was actually easier backwards. Then we did a long back thru a tight course and then we had to back into a "garage". I did very well on the first day. I knocked down my share of cones, but made all the courses in the required times. We did get to work on a few parts of the qualifying course on Monday. We worked on zone 2 first. This includes a slalom, a Y back (driving in a garage and backing up), gates (basically another slalom type course), then forward into a garage. I loved the slalom course. It was still pretty wet when we did it so it made it twice as fun. Next we got to work zone 1, which is the beginning of the course. Basically, you have some cones you have to go thru at at least 40 MPH. Then when you are halfway thru they would say left or right and you would make an evasive maneuver thru some more cones. Also, another one of my favorite parts cuz you get to go fast. Then you drive into a garage and back into another garage. Then you pull out into an S turn. We were at KLETC from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the first day.

On Tuesday, we were at KLETC from 10 a.m. till 10:30 p.m. We started the morning by putting zones 1 & 2 together. Then we started on zones 4 & 5. This includes an S backup into a long, fast back up and immediately into a garage. Then you pull out of the garage into a serpentine (S curves with cones on each side). Then you speed ahead into another garage. Then a 90 deg back up into another garage. Then you pull out of there and head for a stop sign. Then, you pull out of there and weave thru some more cones to the finish. In order to qualify you have to do all that in 3 min. One Tues. I didn't have any trouble with times and most of my runs were clean.

Then that night we got to do some night driving thru the course. The first run was with normal headlights. The second run was with brights on. During this run the instructor in the car asked questions to try to stress me out. Then, the last run was with lights and sirens. During this run the instructor is yelling about an officer in trouble. Some instructors got more animated than others. My instructor was pretty calm. That was my best run all day. Also, while we were out at KLETC we got to eat in their cafeteria for free. I felt like I was back in college. The food was actually pretty good.

On Wednesday, I did a ride along. I was out west for this 2nd shift (11 a.m. - 9 p.m.) ride. It wasn't very eventful. We did get in a chase. It was low speed thru a residential area. The guy just drove an extra 3 blocks just to park in his driveway. Then I had Thursday off. That was really nice. I pretty much did nothing.

Friday we were back out at KLETC to qualify on the course. We had to be there by 9:30 a.m. We weren't sure how long we would be there. It just depended on how long it took everyone to qualify. The morning went really well and everyone from WPD qualified on their first run. I was up first after lunch. My first practice run was pretty clean except for I overshot the garage on the long back and I had to make a correction. I still made it in 2:40. My second practice run again was good except I screwed up the 90 deg back and had to pull forward and back up again. I did that one in 2:45. My qualifying run went really well. Again, I screwed up the 90 deg garage (something I hadn't screwed up once on Tues). I did qualify on my first run with a time of 2:50. We ended up getting done by 3:30 p.m.

Since we were done early, I went with Justin into Hutchinson (he lives there). We decided this would be a good time for me to meet his daughter. We picked her up from school and took her to dinner. She is pretty awesome. She reminds me of me when I was that age. Then we took her to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Today I did pretty much nothing. Tomorrow, we were voluntold to do the Walk for Unity. I convinced Justin to bring Paige into Wichita and they could walk it with me. I think most of our PD class will be there.

As for next week, we are back at the academy. For all your entertainment, Monday I get pepper sprayed. If my eyes aren't swollen shut I will blog about it Monday night. Please have me in your thoughts because I hear it isn't a great time.

End of Week 12 & 13

Week 12 we had another week of classroom junk. We did have our 6th test on Monday. I got a 98%. Monday we learned about booking into the SG Co jail. K-9 was in. I really enjoyed when the dog destroyed a cabinet with wood doors looking for the bag of marijuana they put in there. Then we went over Civil Process Serving. Tues. we had our CSI group in. Wed. we had narcotic and controlled substance. We did a controlled burn of Marijuana. That stuff is nasty smelling. We also learned about Surveillance and Informants. Thurs. the CSI unit was back in. We also covered traffic enforcement and traffic control. We got to go down the street and do traffic control at an intersection. Luckily we have a lot of people in class and I didn't have to get out there. We also covered Alarm Ordinances, Crime Stoppers, and Clandestine Labs. Friday we also covered Civil Liabilities, Forensic Computers, and Alcohol Beverage and Control. Then on Saturday, a few of us from the academy ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I actually ran the whole 5K without stopping. I finished it in 35 min. I was glad to have my new boyfriend Justin running with me. If he weren't there, I probably would have walked a lot more. Then on Sunday, I volunteered for the WPD Show and Shine Car Show. I was there for a few hours in the morning to help set up.

Week 13 got pretty interesting. On Monday and Tuesday we did Standard Field Sobriety Testing. For those of you who didn't see channel 12 news on Monday, we had a bunch of volunteers come in and get drunk for us. Then we did a battery of field sobriety test on them. On Wednesday, we actually got certified. We also covered driving while under the influence of drugs. Then on Thurs., we did handgun retention. Then, Thursday after work we played a little flag football. It was WPD vs the Sheriff's Office. It was a lot of fun, but in the end, they ended up beating us. On Friday we covered Legal Aspects of Emergency Vehicle Operations and Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics. This was the classroom course for the stuff we get to do this coming week. Monday and Tuesday I will be up in Hutchinson at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center for Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC). This is another Pass/Fail class. I have to finish the obstacle course on Friday in under 3 minutes. I'll try to blog next weekend so I can let everyone know how this week went.

End of week 11

Well, I have been a little behind with my posts. I spent the first of this month moving. I am starting to get more organized, but things are still a little crazy. Samson and I have been in our new apartment since Sept. 6th. I think he likes all the space he has, but I think he is pretty lonely since he doesn't have someone around all the time like he used to. I have someone that comes and takes him for walks every afternoon so that might help a little.

Anyway, as for the academy. I left off pretty much at the end of last month. Week 9: On Sept. 2nd, we had an observation day. I got to spend my day in Sex Crimes. I think it is a great department, but it is nothing like Law and Order SVU. We did get to see them interrogate a suspect about a rape. That was pretty interesting. Then on Sept. 3rd and 4th, we were out at the range with shotgun training. Not a huge fan of the shotgun. It's big and heavy with some kick to it. I came home the first day with a bruise on my shoulder and cheek. It took me 4 tries to qualify. When I did finally qualify I got a perfect score. We even ran the course again that afternoon and I got a 53/54. At least I finally figured it out. However, not my weapon of choice. Then that Friday, we had reactive knife training. Mainly we spent all day blocking, deflecting, and throwing each other on the mat. I ended up with a swollen wrist by the end of the day.

Week 10: Monday and Tues. we had Verbal Judo aka Tactical Communication. Then on Tues. we had Robbery and Dealing with Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Wed. and Thurs. mainly dealt with traffic accidents and traffic code. Not a huge fan of working traffic accidents. So, if any of you are in an accident and I get called out, I will punch you in the face. =). Then on Friday we had Sex Crimes and SANE/SART (nurses who take the rape kits at the hospital).

Week 11: Monday - Wednesday we worked on more traffic accident investigations. We did do some PT this week. Monday we ran a little over 3 miles. Then, Wednesday we did our 300 FT dash and the Cooper Run. We ran the Cooper Run in squads. My squad can kick my ass at the 1 1/2 so they just let me pace it. We ended up being the squad with the fastest time. Then on Thurs. we got to do Close Quarters Combat. This was learning to punch and kick. Good stuff, but I'm pretty sure I won't be punching anyone anytime soon. I have little fragile hands. I'm more a fan of the heal of my hand and the elbows. Then Friday I did an observation day. I rode 2nd watch North side. I actually ended up riding with the officer that was Andy's primary FTO. He was pretty laid back. We really didn't get into anything too exciting. We did get to go fast and go to the jail.

I haven't written down next weeks schedule so I don't know what we are doing. I know Monday we have our next test. I'm gonna spend the day studying for that.

End of Week 8 - Handgun Quals

I just want to thank everyone for the e-mails, texts, and calls wondering if I passed this week. I did pass. I got a 180 out of 240. 161 is passing. This might be the only time you ever hear me say...well, at least I passed. My goal was a 200 because my highest score all week was 191. My hands are all beat up from all the shooting this week. Next week we have our observation day on Tuesday. I get to spend the day in the Sex Crimes Division. Then Wed. and Thurs. we are back out at the range for shotgun training. That should be fun since I have never shot a shotgun. Then Fri. we have reactive knife training.

Also next week, I will probably spend most of my nights packing. As soon as my new apartment is ready I am moving. I am staying in the same complex so my address won't change...just my apartment number.

I am at Table Rock right now hanging out with my parents. I get back into town Monday afternoon. Hope everyone has a good and safe holiday weekend.

End of Week 7

Well, last week started off pretty boring but ended really cool. We had our 4th exam on Monday. I covered that in my last blog. It ended up getting an 87%. They finally posted the class grades. I am #2 in class right behind my car pool buddy. She only has me by .3 points though. There are about 5 of us that are within 1 point of each other. I will have to stay on my game to maintain my GPA. Right now it is 91.5.

Tuesday we had a class on weapons of mass destruction. Pretty interesting, but for the most part I knew a lot about that because I watch a lot of military shows. We also had some more attorneys in for some classes...Use of Legal Force, Title 3 (Drinking Laws). Then Wednesday afternoon we had the gang unit in. I didn't know squat about gang activity, but after their presentation I know kind of what to look for. Also, it put another check mark on the side of never wanting to have kids.

Then Thursday and Friday morning we were out at the gun range. We were issued our weapons. I get to carry a 40 caliber Glock. Then Friday afternoon we got to go out to the bomb range. The WPD Bomb range is out in BFE. Basically you go to the Viola intersection at K42 and take 111th street west to the county line. They bbq'd some burgers and brats for us. Then we got a nice PowerPoint presentation that had some pretty gory pictures that I, of course, couldn't look at. Then they took us down range and blew some stuff up.

This week we are at the gun range doing our handgun practicals. Yesterday we went thru 300 rounds each. Not sure what we shot today, but it was alot. My hands are killing me. When I am done here I'm gonna go soak my hands in ice water. I have blisters on 4 fingers. By Friday I will know if I qualified. This week is pretty much do or die. If I can't shoot the course, I'm out of the class. No pressure though. I'll be out of town all weekend so I will catch everyone up on Monday night when I get back in town. Have a good holiday weekend.

End of Week 6

Another week down. It was another boring week with mostly classroom stuff. Here is what we covered this week: Juvenile Law/Custody, Financial Crimes, Admissions and Confessions, Rules of Evidence, Crime Scene and Death Investigations, Emergency Response & Pursuit Driving, Road Block and Barricades, and Title 5 (city ordinances). The most interesting class was the Death Investigations. We had Lt. Landwehr in a few times this week. He covered a few local homicides. We got the info (including very detailed pictures) of the Cornelius Oliver murders. This was the other quadruple homicide 5 days before the Carr brothers. Then we got all the gory details of the Carr brothers quadruple homicide. We also got details on the incident at the Crown Chase apartments out south where the lady was beheaded and the apartment set on fire. Let's just say, there are images in my head that I'm never going to get rid of. Lesson's learned...if you think someone is following you, don't go home. Duh!!!!!

We did have one day of PT. We got to run east on 37th street to where it meets up with the big ditch. Then we got to run up and down the burm. I ended up having a pretty good asthma attack and got to ride the Sheriff's police car back to the academy. I went to the Dr. the next day and got some new medications.

We had a big test today. It covered the last 3 weeks. We didn't get the results back yet, but I don't think too many people did very well. I did pass. That is about the only info I could get out of the Lt. Today after the test we got instruction on how to deploy stop sticks. Not as easy as you might think. By the end of the session, I was doing pretty well. Then we had more Title 5 crap. This week we finally get to go to the range. Will update more on Friday or this weekend.

End of week 5

Let's just say this week was the most boring week so far. I drank more caffeine than ever this week. We had 1 assistant district attorney and 2 Deputy District Attorney's in this week. This week we had KS Justice System, Criminal Law Codes, Constitutional Law, Laws of Arrest, 4th Amendment (search and seizure), Admission and Confession (more 4th Amendment stuff), Burglary, and we got our first round of hepatitis shots. That's about as exciting as it gets. Next week is more classroom crap. Lt. Ken Landwehr will be in a few days next week. I hear his presentation is pretty interesting. Tonight I am meeting some of the girls downtown for one of their birthdays. Then tomorrow we have a pool party for the whole class. Then Sunday I have a huge beat map to draw up. Should be fun.

Bruises

Ok, I finally got some bruises to show up. However, it still doesn't look as bad as it feels. The picture on the left is of my common peroneal nerve strikes on my left leg. The picture on the right is the same strike. You can see I kind of had to rotate my leg over so you can see the bruises. I also have a bruise at the tibial nerve (upper calf) on my left leg. I also have a ton of small bruised areas on my upper arms. I have a pretty good bruise on my upper left arm from swinging the baton incorrectly and whacking myself. I can see a good bruise there, but I don't think it will show up on pi cutes. I also have a few small bruises on my femoral nerve (inner thigh). Just think, tomorrow is suppose to be worse. Can't wait.

Middle of Week 4

So, I figured if I waited till the end of the week to write about this week I'd miss something cool. This is what I call ass whoopin' week. Monday we had a defensive driving course. It was a real snore. The only good thing that will come of that is that when I get my certificate I can send it to my insurance company and hopefully get a discount. However, then I have to let them know I'm in law enforcement and they will probably hike up my life insurance rates. Tuesday we learned handcuffing. Don't know how many of you have ever been handcuffed, but it isn't a pleasant experience. Well, try being hand cuffed over and over again for 6 hours. First we learned how to fall. Yes, there is a technique to it. Then we went into take down moves and speed cuffing. My right wrist is sufficiently bruised and swollen. The crappy thing is that I don't show bruises that well, so I can't put up any pictures. However, I learned some great take down moves with the cuffs and without. I'm ready to hit the bar and have someone grab my ass. Just kidding. We did do some PT along with the handcuffing. I went to sit down this morning at the computer and about jumped out of the chair my ass hurt so bad. I figured it was from the fall stuff, but then I remembered I did one squat yesterday. One 10 count squat. 10 counts down....10 counts up. It sucked. Today we learned about the mechanics of an arrest. Just classroom stuff. Then we got to have our baton training class. First they gave us foam batons. They showed us where to hit on the legs and arms that would make someone buckle. However, being hit with a long metal stick I think would do the trick. So, for about 3 hours we beat the crap out of each other with the foam baton. I have nice bruised areas on my upper thigh, my forearm, bicep, and my upper calf. Then we got to beat the crap out of a dummy with our real batons. I could have played with those foam batons all day long. It was fun. Tomorrow, we have the Mechanics of self defense. This class is all classroom. Then Friday, they we get to beat the crap out of each other again using pressure points. Andy says this is the class that is really going to hurt. I'm thinking that sucks since the last two days have been pretty brutal. I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes on Friday...or Saturday if I am too wore out. If any of these spots on my legs become good bruises, I'll take pictures.

End of Week 3

Well, it was another boring week of sitting in a classroom for 8 hours straight listening to lectures and viewing power point presentations. By Friday, my brain was fried. We did have a test on Tuesday covering week 1 & 2 stuff. I got a 92%. We have another test this Tuesday. This week we learned about Cultural Awareness, Fingerprinting (I suck at pulling prints), ID of Suspects, Larceny, Tittle 11 (city traffic ordinances), Crisis Negotiations, Felony Assault, Intro to Community Policing, Problem Solving, Arson, ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children), Infectious Disease, and Crimes in Progress. Luckily, Friday afternoon we got some PT time. We did a 30 min Plyometrics workout and started with some defensive tactics basics. The type of martial arts we are learning is called SYSTEMA. It is a form of Russian martial arts used in the Russian Special Forces. The other girl in my class that is closest to my build and physical ability is like some black belt in martial arts. We got to spend some time hitting some hand pad things. I look forward to next week when we get to do a lot more stuff out of the class room.

End of week 2

Well, this week wasn't nearly as exciting as last week. This week was mostly classroom stuff. We learned about ethics, dealing with special populations (mental illness and elderly), Office of Central Inspection (housing codes), Kansas Incident Based Reporting System (KIBRS) (basically the foundation for all our reports), Field Notes, and Professional Standards (previously known as IA). I welcomed the 2 days we had of PT. I will spend all of my weekend finishing up reading our Policy and Regulations Manual. Then we have a test on Tues. that I also have to study for. The academy is definitely tough and I am mentally exhausted. I pretty much go to class all day and study, do homework, and polish my shoes every night. Next week looks like more of the same. We get a little reprieve from the classroom in a couple weeks because we have a few days of defensive tactics and handcuffing. Maybe I'll have some nice bruises to take pictures of.

Academy

I decided to try on all my gear for the academy tomorrow. I spent 20 minutes ironing my shirts perfectly yesterday. I have nice creases in my sleeves. I also probably spent 2 hours polishing my shoes. That isn't as easy of a task as I thought. I have gotten lots of different advice from lots of different people. I put them on today and got a bunch of creases, so I had to buff them out some more. We will see how the Lt's like them tomorrow. I spent most of the weekend studying. We had 2 study groups. We had about 7 show up yesterday and about 11 show up today. We will probably do study groups every weekend. If not just to study, but to let the group get to know each other better. Anyway, I told mom I would post a picture of me in my academy uniform. You can't really see my shiny shoes in this pic.

A day at the lake

Yes, it sounds real fun, but it isn't what you might think. After Monday, the rest of the week was mainly classroom stuff. Pretty boring. I kind of like the PT at the end of the day because it give me energy for the evening. If we don't PT, I just want to go home and crash after 8 hours in the classroom. So, Friday, they took us out the the WPD SGSO (sheriff) range out at Lake Afton. This is where SWAT does all their PT training. Most people driving by have probably never seen it, but there is a huge obstacle course behind the shooting burm. It has about 10 obstacles. First, me and my partner (I picked one of the bulky guys), had to go over a privacy fence high gate. Then, you have to jump a chain link fence; climb 3 rungs to a window, go thru and climb down the other side; run thru a cement culvert; then there was a 4 ft wall; then was the worst thing on the course, it's hard to explain but the top level you had to jump to was about 8ft off the ground. Doesn't sound too high, but when you are jumping horizontally to the next rung...it's high. I got a nice abrasion from that obstacle. Then we had 3 low step logs to go over, they are about knee high. I did pretty well with those because I have long legs, so I was able to just bounce right thru them. Then was the dreaded monkey bars. I couldn't do them in middle school and I can't do them now. Next was a couple long balance beams at a couple different heights. Not too easy with 25 MPH winds. Then we had to climb up about 4 rungs that were about 10-15 ft high. Get over and climb down. The last obstacle was about 6 stumps at different heights that we had to bound over. Then we went for a jog around the lake to the south end where the dam was. We did some sprints up and down the dam. Then we jogged back around to the swimming area on the west side of the lake. We got in 2-row formation in the water. I formed up in the back row first. Then, they went along pushing the person in the front row and we had to catch them. I got a skinny guy and I only dipped him in the water once. Then when I got on the front row, they never pushed me. So, he never had to catch me. Then we did some push-ups. In the water, they aren't that bad. Then we had to run out and around some of our fellow recruits that were out further in the water. Then we had a nice easy, soggy run back to the range. At the range, we had to do some push-ups, flutter kicks, and pull ups (I can't do pull ups). Then we had to lunge about 50 yds. That was it. I personally didn't think it was too bad. I had a good time. They talked it up like it was going to be hell. We have our first test Monday. We have study groups set up today and tomorrow for everyone. Hopefully with some teamwork everyone will do good on the test Monday. At the study group today, we are not only going to study, but we are also going to learn how to polish our shoes and iron nice lines in our uniforms. We get to wear our blues on Monday. I'll make sure I get a picture so I can post it up. The blues aren't too exciting. They will be more interesting looking when we have our vests and duty belts strapped on.

On another note, Friday got police radios to take home for the duration of the academy. I listened to mine most of the night Friday. I turned it off at about 11:15 to go to bed. Andy called me at 1:30 a.m. to see if I had been listening when the Officer Down call came out at 11:30 p.m. He wanted to let me know it wasn't one of our friends from the West side. I missed it by 15 min. I guess a west side WPD officer was checking a suspicious character and the guy pulled a gun and shot him. Luckily, he only got shot in the leg and he is going to recover. The suspect however, ran a ways down the street then turned the gun on himself. He died early this morning. Andy said it took 9 seconds for it to go from a suspicious character call to an officer down call. I am sure this is something that will be discussed in length on Monday in class.

First Day

The first day wasn't too bad. We had PT immediately when we got there. Push-ups and flutter kicks are no fun in slacks and dress shoes. Then we had 1 hour with the chief. He mainly went over WPD goals, objectives, and expectations. Then we spent forever reading over WPD Policy and Regulations. We do a lot of that the first few weeks....a real bore. After lunch there were the academy rules and regs. We learned how to write our first report. Then the crappy part of the day started. Our squad started with a 300 yd sprint. They say it is like running 2 city blocks. They were really big blocks. I could barely make out our FTO (Field Training Officer, heretofore to be known as FTO...that was for mom) standing at the finish line. I did my dash in 1:25. Then we had push-ups, sit-ups, and a sit and reach. I did 41 sit-ups in 1 min; 21 push-ups; and I maxed out that sit and reach (measures flexibility). They needed to add another block for me. I am not sure how I am suppose to improve on that. Then to the dreaded Cooper Run. It was about 95 degrees by then with a brisk 15 MPH southern breeze. I did it in 15:35. They didn't expect us to make land speed records today with this weather. These tests today were to set a benchmark for the rest of the class. Basically, by December when we graduate, we are to improve on these numbers. We had some homework. Nothing that took me too long. I came home and got right on it. I was appointed treasurer for our water jug program. We have a water thingy and we have to pay to refill the jugs. We went thru a whole jug today. I am kind of excited to be able to do a spreadsheet and keep track of money. Those are the things I will miss the most with this job. Well, that's it. Nothing to eventful to report. I hear Friday is going to be hell. If I can still move, I will post again Friday to report on the week.

Last few days

So, Friday I had my orientation for the Wichita PD. I was so nervous. I think the thing that scares me the most is that I am just afraid of doing anything that would get me yelled at or singled out. That morning, we already had one guy show up late. He was picked on all day and it seemed like everyone knew that we had someone show up late already. Then we had a guy come back from lunch late. They didn't pick on him as much but I am sure he already had a black mark in the instructors book. We were sitting in the classroom and the instructor walks in and yells "class rise"...scared the shit out of me. Then, I was standing there and all the guys looked like they were all standing at attention. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Then he says good morning and we all answer with a weak ass good morning...then we get the discussion about saying sir and using our police voice. My police voice...very funny. I feel more like that little girl from the movie "Police Academy". I guess I'll learn to get that too. The discipline the class teaches is definitely going to be hard for me. We have to say sir and ma'am to everyone...I'm not used to that. We have to walk in single file lines along the right side of the hallway and not speak. I feel like I am back in 1st grade lining up for lunch. This should be interesting. We got fitting for a bunch of clothes and supplies. I didn't know ordering my duty belt would end me in a 10 min discussion about being left or right handed. I didn't think I would have to worry about deciding that until our first day at the range. I guess it matters for ordering the belt. Had our pictures taken for our PD ID. Got a short tour of the city building. Rec'd my blues for the class. They are super sexy, let me tell ya. Ordered all my PT gear. Did a trigger pull test...I have to do hand exercises. No push-ups today, but it sounds like July 7th is going to kick our asses. I'm sure I'll let you know how my first day goes. I have this next week off to prepare myself for the rest of my life...basically.

So, on to today. Cherie and I played VB in KC today. It was cloudy and a little rainy in the morning. We had 5 teams in our pool. We ended up going 7-1 in our pool. That put us 1st out of our pool. Then we breezed thru the next 4 games to win the tournament. I'm telling you, boot camp is really paying off. Too bad, now that I am in the best shape of my life, I can't play VB anymore because of the academy. So, our overall record was 15-1. We won $80. It was a pretty awesome day.

I finally made it!!

After one year and a huge emotional roller coaster, I finally completed my last obstacle in the process for WPD. Today, I ran my cooper run (1.5 miles in 14 min) for the 4th time. We were able to run indoors on a flat surface with climate control. We have been running outside with 90% humidity and a few hills. My first run, I didn't really finish. The second try I got it in 15:25. The 3rd time I did it in 14:20. Today I did it in 13:35. I was able to shave almost a minute off of all my times. They told us when we were done that there were 11 people hoping that we wouldn't complete the run today because if we didn't, they would get a shot. I am so proud of myself. I have never worked this hard for anything in my life. It has been the most emotional experience of my life. Now it is completed and I can move forward with my goal. I have orientation on Friday. Then the class starts July 7th. It is a 22 week class. There are 27 people in the class. I will blog regularly on all the cool stuff we do on a weekly basis. So, if you are interested, keep checking back at least weekly.

So, I would just like to thank everyone for their support. You have all gone out of your way to think about me and help me thru this grueling process. I know the next 22 weeks are going to be tough and I'll still need everyone's support to get thru it.

Getting Closer

So, I ran again today. I didn't make it, but I am very proud of myself for getting a better time than I ever have before. Today I ran it in 14:20. So, all I have to do is shave off 20 seconds. We will probably run again tomorrow. They said they will let us run inside tomorrow. They did say that we will probably go to orientation even if we haven't passed yet (I don't particularly want that to be the issue though). I have to have it ran by the first day of class on July 7th. I'll update everyone tomorrow on how it goes.

Third times a charm????

I ran the Cooper Run (1 1/2 miles in 14 min) again yesterday. I didn't make it. I finished in 15:25. I am really having a lot of trouble with this run. I am going to try some different stuff for the next 3 days. My friend sells supplements and stuff like that and she is really hooking me up with a good regiment. My main problem is just my asthma...and Becca says I panic because I think I can't make it and that makes my asthma worse (they let her run with me yesterday). She is hoping that I can take this stuff for the next few days and it will help a little. She has some other workout enhancing stuff she wants me to try also. So, I get to run it again on Monday. If I don't make it I get to run it again everyday next week until orientation. Orientation is on Friday, so I just have to make it by then. I'll keep you all posted.

Boot Camp

Talk about an ass whoopin! I had my first boot camp session last night. It was a real kick in the pants. I was fine until we jogged down to the park down the street in 90 degree weather. From there we did a battery of push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, a couple different kinds of push ups. It would have been real awesome if I had been able to breath. I had to stop half way thru and find some shade. I was able to continue doing some stuff while I was in the shade. I really love the workouts; I just have trouble completing them because of my asthma. I have added a link on my blog. This is to my training log. I log all my training…running, volleyball, boot camp, mountain biking. If you click workouts and view a certain boot camp entry, you can see the exact work out. The boot camp that I use posts the workouts daily on their blog so I just copy them to my training log when I log the activity. So, if you care, its all there. Anyway, I really love this boot camp thing. I would recommend it to anyone. The instructors are really great and they actually do care. I had one by my side thru the whole workout just in case I had some kind of attack (which I won’t have, but they have to cover their asses). Tonight’s workout is more like the stuff we did in college to train for VB. Check out the boot camp website at www.getfitwichita.com. I’ll keep you posted on my weekly performance.

Physical Exam

Yesterday I had my physical exam for the WPD. It was pretty interesting. I had to pee in a cup….then is when they treat you like you are a criminal. The waters off, you can’t wash your hand; you have to watch them pore your pee from the big container to the little one. Then, with my unwashed pee hand, I had to initial the little pee container. It was super. Then, I got to work with a physical therapist. She did some ergonomic testing. First was a grip test. It showed that I was 100% ambidextrous. I pulled the same number on both hands. Then, there was this peg board. It had pins, spacers, and washers. In 1 min. I had to build as many Pin/washer/spacer/washer things that I could. I think I built 9. It helps to be ambidextrous cuz I can use both hands. Then there was some squatting to make sure my knees worked. Then she wanted me to bend over and touch as far as I could. Once I flopped down with my palms to the floor she said….I don’t see that too often. Then I had to do some various pulling movements. I know I passed all that stuff because she showed me where I fit on the WPD scale. That was the hardest part of the day. Next was blood work…I was starving so I was glad to get that done soon. I brought a bag of chips to eat. Then I had my hearing tested. She said I have great hearing even though thru the whole thing all I could hear was the ringing in my ear. Then, I had to do a lung capacity test….blow real hard and keep blowing until your eyes pop out and you have slobbered down your face. I saw a Dr. for about 5 min. He did the usual ear, nose, lung, heart, hammer to the knees, and spine test. Then they x-rayed my back. Three different x-rays. The first time they came back bad so they had to do them again. Then I did the treadmill test. They hooked up 10 electrodes to my chest to monitor my heart. They said I had to get my heart rate above 160 for 1 min. I knew that wasn’t going to be a problem. The treadmill started at a nice slow walk at a huge incline. Then it inclined some more and went a little faster. I never got to a run just a brisk walk at a steep incline. The test took 8 minutes to finish. I never broke a sweat or even breathed hard. That was it. I was in and out in 2 hours (they weren’t that busy). So, I assume I’ll get a call by the end of the week from Det. Giffin about the results….or I’ll call her.

Busy past few days

This weekend was pretty eventful. On Saturday, I played with Cherie on her family team at Watson Park. We played rec. We ended up doing pretty well. We played 3 different 3 team pools. So, basically we got 12 games in. They went off points to decide how everyone was seated for the tournament that was on Sunday. Our team ended up getting 13th with an 11-1 record. I guess there were a few undefeated teams and he said the difference between 7th and 15th were decimal points. Our team, however, decided not to show up on Sunday to finish out the tournament. Cherie and I decided to play sand doubles on Sunday. We always play together in the grass so we figured it would just be a matter of adjusting to the sand. We did pretty well. There were 5 teams and we all were in one pool. So we got to play everyone once. We ended up splitting with every team. So our record was 4-4. We ended up getting 4th. They decided that the 5th and 4th place teams would play a best 2 out of 3 match to see who goes on. After we lost the first game, we decided to give up for the day. Most of the teams that played on Sunday, didn't play 12 games the day before. We were wore out. Mom and dad came out and mom took some pictures.

Also, Saturday night a few of my friends decided to get together and go down to the fireworks. We fought the throngs of people and found us a nice little spot on the east bank. It was right in front of the speaker, which meant we definitely didn't miss any part of the music to the fireworks. Thanks BOB for blowing out my ear drums. We parked pretty far away so we didn't have to deal with any traffic. Here are a few pics from my cell phone. Not that great of quality, but I thought my blog needed to be spiced up with some pics.

Then this morning I had my psychological exam for the WPD. I was pretty wiped after this weekend, so getting up early to do this test really sucked. I had a bunch of stuff to write out...a biographical info sheet. Basically, the same stuff I've already told them. Then I had a 300+ True/False test. Then I had another 575+ question True/False test. All in that Iowa basic Skills test bubble answer sheet. I swear, if I get asked about the voices in my head one more time, I'm gonna go postal. =) Tomorrow morning I have my physical exam. Thankfully it is at 10:30 a.m. so I will have some time to sleep in. I am taking tomorrow off work too because I won't be able to even get 4 hours in with the physical scheduled the way it is. Hopefully I can use my afternoon to do something productive since I haven't been home much.

Command Staff Interview

I had my command staff interview today. I guess it went really well because they offered me a job. It is still contingent upon me passing the physical and psychological exams that I have scheduled for Monday and Tues of next week. Then I do my Cooper Run on June 12. This was definitely the most stressful thing I have ever done in my entire life. So, tomorrow I go in in the morning and get finger printed. Then Monday I have my psychological exam. They said it should take about 4 hours. Then Tues. I have my physical. That will take about 6 hours. Not sure what they are going to get out of me in 6 hours. Sounds like it should be a good time. The orientation is June 30. Then the class will start on July 7th.

Command Staff Update

Just an update, I have moved up my command staff interview to this Thurs. They had an opening and wanted to get me in. So, Thursday, on my birthday, I will have my meeting with the Chief. Hopefully doing it on my birthday will be lucky. Keep your fingers crossed.

First Weekend of RiverFest

I had a pretty eventful weekend. Friday night I went to a Tastefully Simple party at one of my friend’s house. Nothing better than going to a party just for the free food. Then Saturday, I ran in my first River Run for the River Festival. I started the race with Cherie, Rachel, and about five thousand other runners. After the first turn, I had to let Cherie and Rachel go on. I haven’t really done much since a few weeks before my surgery in April. So, needless to say, I was a bit out of shape. I finished the 2-mile race in about 23 minutes. Then, that afternoon, I went out to Goddard to watch Nathan’s baseball scrimmage. He only had 4 kids from his team actually show up, so everyone in the family got to play. Dad, Austin, and I all played outfield. Rebecca caught for a few innings while Nathan pitched. Willie played short stop and mom got to be the first base coach. I got one at bat. I swung real good at the first ball….that small ball is hard to transition to after years of softballs. I did get a hit, but it went straight to the pitcher and I got thrown out at first. However, I did advance a runner, so we will call it a sacrifice. We had a huge front come thru and we decided to end the game because of the dust bowl. Then we went back to Rebecca’s for our Mother’s Day BBQ. On Sunday, I had a volleyball double header. We went 3-0 in our first match and 0-3 in our second. I wasn’t really moving so well because my muscles were very sore from my run on Saturday.

May is always a very busy month for me. This week we are having dinner with Andy’s mom on Tues. for Mother’s Day. She had to work this last Sunday. Then on Thursday is my birthday, so we are having dinner with my parents and Andy’s mom and brother at my favorite restaurant, Sal’s. Then Saturday I was coerced into playing on my friend Cherie’s family team for coed sand volleyball. However, I made her play doubles with me on Sunday.

Command Staff Scheduled

Det. Giffin called today to schedule my command staff interview. It is scheduled for May 19th at 1:30 p.m. in the Chief's office on the 4th floor of the city building. It will be with the Chief, the deputy chief over training, the Captain over training, and the Lt. over training. After the command staff, if I pass, they will offer me a contingent job interview. I will know that day. She told me she didn't see any reason that I would not pass the command staff. The job offer will be contingent upon passing the physical, psychological testing, and the copper run (1-1/2 miles in 14 min). Once I get thru all of that I will be in the class in July. So, wish me luck.

Oral Board Interview

Well, today I finally got off the couch and got out of the house. However, it was my oral boards that I had to get off the couch for. The pain from my surgery is pretty much gone. Now I’m just dealing with weakness and lightheadedness from doing nothing for 4 days. I tried to get out this morning and walk Samson since it was so nice. I made a loop around one apartment building before I had to come back in and rest. Then I got around for my oral boards. It was pretty stressful. I feel like I was pretty much prepared for all the questions they asked. In order to pass, I had to get 30 points out of a possible 65. I got a 52. The detective working my file said they were very impressed with me. She said I did a very good job. I have a few things to work on for my command staff interview. That one will be with the chief and probably deputy chief. She said they will be doing those between now and the first of June. I’ll keep you posted and let you know when that interview will be. That’s it for now. I will go back to work tomorrow. I have 2 weeks before I can start playing VB and working out again.

Surgery Update

Well, I had my surgery yesterday. I was back in surgery for about 40 minutes. They were able to find some spots of endometiosis. They also found a fibroid in my uterus. He said it was small. You can see from the attached picture. I guess everything else was normal. I am in some pain still, but am up and moving around. Andy has been real good about taking care of me. He also got up this morning and took Samson out for me. I have another hole in my belly button. I have one more hole lower, that just went thru my old scars. I have a new hole on the side of my abdomen next to my left hip. I was out of the surgery center pretty quick. I got there at noon and I went home around 5:00 p.m. So, here are some of the pictures that the Dr. took while he was in there. Viewer discretion is advised. =) You should be able to click on the picture to enlarge.

Ride-a-longs, surgery, oral boards...oh my!!

Well, the last few weeks for me have been pretty crazy. I am in the process of moving. Actually, I'll be out of my old apartment by tomorrow. I have moved in with Andy. He lived in the same apartment complex so I didn't move far. This last weekend I went on another ride-along. This time I rode out west with one of Andy's buddies from the academy. It was very interesting. I know that area so well since I grew up on the west side. It felt very comfortable. However, I did run into a few people I know. That may be the hardest thing about working out west. If I get thru the WPD academy, I think my first choice will be the west side substation. Not that what I want really matters. I think they may take it into consideration.

I have my surgery Wed. of this week. I scheduled it for a day that Andy has off so he will be around. His mom, who is a nurse, is also taking that day off for me. I'm sure everything will go OK. I'll keep you all posted.

I got a call today from the Det. at the Law Enforcement Training Center. We scheduled my Oral Board interview for Monday, April 14th at 2:45 p.m. Hopefully I won't still have to be too doped up. I am sure I'll be functioning fine by then. She said she really wanted to get me into this oral board because they are probably not going to be doing too many more before the July class, and she wanted to make sure I got in in time to be considered for the July class.

Polygraph

Today I had my polygraph. That was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. I don’t think it matters if you are the most honest person alive, it will still rattle you. I know I didn’t have anything to hide or lie about, but you start to psych yourself out. You think…well, what about this or that. I was sitting there with those things around my chest and I could just feel my heart thumping against them. My ears were buzzing. I can’t imagine how people can be calm when hooked up to that thing. I did pass. So, my next step is the Oral Boards….again. This will be with a panel of 3 commissioned officers and 1 civilian. It is a little different than the SO boards. They score you based on 9 categories. He rattled some off, but I don’t remember too many. Basically, everyone comes in ranked at a 5 in each category. As you answer questions, your score goes up or down based on your answers. He said I have to have a 5 in each category to pass. I will know as soon as it is over if I passed or not. The next step after passing oral boards is the command staff interview. That is the one I am dreading most. I tend to get a little nervous and intimidated around people of high authority. That interview will be with the Chief himself and a few other high ranking officers. The guy that did my polygraph today said that they are planning on having a big class in July. They are looking at 30-35 people. That is mainly because they are anticipating the creating of the new Central substation. This will add 93 new officers to the roster. I’ll let you know when they schedule my oral boards. It will probably be the week after my surgery.

On to the next phase

So, it has been pretty crazy the last couple days. Yesterday I had my first contact interview. It took me an hour and a half to fill out the 37 page form. Then I was in my interview for about 45 minutes. Things seem to be going well. There are tons of people who apply for WPD so I have no idea where I stand. All I know is that I keep passing each phase and get to move to the next one.

This morning, I went to the training center for my agility test. For those who followed my SO stuff, it was all the same thing. However, WPD didn’t make me run as far. So, I did the obstacle course in 37 seconds. On the body drag, I totally messed up and fell on my ass, but I did still do it in less than 9 seconds….barely.

So, next week I get to go in for my polygraph. This is something the SO didn’t do so I don’t know how it will go. I’m pretty sure I have nothing to hide, but you never know. So, check back after next Wed. and see how that went. After that will be the Oral Boards….again.

Moving fast....

So, in one day, I have taken my written exam for the WPD; scheduled my first contact interview; and am planning for my agility test. I went in this morning to the city building for the written exam. I scored an 87, which is 2 percentage points better than I did on my SO exam. For WPD we had to do a typing test. I can type 56 WPM. Woo Hoo! That should be real handy driving around in a cop car. They should have done a “how fast can you write” exam. I’ve seen the paperwork they have to fill out. I have scheduled my first contact interview for the morning of March 25th. They will have me fill out a 37 page packet. It will probably be like the 29 page one I filled out for SO. Then, if I pass the first contact interview, I get to do the agility testing again. She said I should be able to do that on April 2nd, so it is done before my surgery (weather pending). She said I have made it in time to still be considered for the July class. Check back next week and I can let you know how my first contact interview went.

Wichita PD

Well, last night I did another WPD ride along. I just love it so much. As I was riding I was able to keep up with the activity of all the other stations and the sheriff’s department. I realized as we were running from call to call, that the sheriff’s office is a snooze compared to the action of the WPD. When I first applied for SO, that was all I knew. I didn’t have anything to compare it to. Now I have seen the light. Yes, they both do have their pluses and minuses, but in the end, I want the action. I have spent the last 10 years being bored at my job and always trying to keep busy. I want to make law enforcement a career and I just don’t want it to be another boring job. One of the 4th watch sergeants have been recruiting me big time on all my ride-alongs. I think last night he talked me into it. So, as soon as I get all my paperwork together, I’m going to apply for WPD. I just really hope it isn’t’ too late to get into the July class. The sergeant said it isn’t and that they are recruiting like crazy right now. So, we will see. I have about 3 weeks before my surgery so I need to get the ball rolling so I can at least get all the physical testing done before the surgery. So, keep checking back for more updates.

My Surgery

Well, I have scheduled my surgery. It will be April 9th. It is a routine outpatient thing. For those of you who may not know, when I was 15 I as diagnosed with Endometriosis. About 10 years ago they went in, via Laproscopy, and were able to control some of my growths. Well it has been 10 years and the pain is back. I go in around 1 p.m. and I should be home that night. I will be down for a few days. Then I won't be able to play VB or work out for a few more weeks. So, please have me in your thoughts on that day. I have never been real good with anesthesia. We'll see. It should be fun.

Update 02/22/08

I talked to the deputy handling my file at the Sheriff's office today. I guess he had to put my file aside so he can start working on a detention class. So, it may be a little while before I hear anything back from them. I will try to blog about day to day stuff just to keep everyone in the habit of checking it every now and then. I have a friends b-day party tonight. Then I have a co-ed tournament at the Y on Sunday.

Don't forget to check out my parents blog. My mom keeps everyone up to date on all their travels. Also, I have a link to my pictures. Check back for more pics from tonights b-day party.

We got 2nd

This doesn't really have anything to do with the Sheriff's department, but our Newton team got 2nd this weekend at our tournament. It was a very long day and there were a lot of good teams in the tournament this year. Our team ended up getting 1st in our pool. Then we lost in the 3rd game of the finals, by only 2 points. Other than the fact that I am extremely sore and can't move too well today, I am already looking forward to the next tournament in November.

The process has begun

Well, I got a call yesterday from the Law Enforcement Training Center. My file is on the top of their list for the next class. They want to begin my investigation immediatly. Hopefully I don't screw anything up from here. If I pass all the next stages I will be in the July class. That means a December graduation...so mark your calendars. Deputy Berry wants to schedule my in-home interview in the next few weeks. Then there is a psych eval and a physical. If I get in the academy, you can keep up with my weekly training thru my blog. I will blog weekly or when we do something really cool. Keep you fingers crossed for me.