1st Day of Academy Life

[hankido2000]

Well it finally came and I survived the first day at Rio Hondo Police academy. We first met in the lower lot around 6am to discuss some last minute stuff. Then we drove up into the academy grounds, and we were all met by the TAC Officers. They made sure to greet us all as we drove into the parking lot. As soon as I step outside of the car, it was ON. They came out of the woodwork like roaches. All of the academy TAC staff was present and it felt like we were their main course meal. But I must say it was a fun experience. Not as bad as basic training with the Air Force, although, they named me flyboy. I was promoted to squad leader and was later demoted as a lot of us were today. I took all of their nice comments with a grain of salt and just pondered on graduation. Anyway, I have to run now and spit shine my shoes and write my first two page paper. Lastly, we lost one person today who was sponsored by LAX and now the class at 49 strong. Not too sure on how many will drop out tomorrow.

[Burbank_Hopeful]

Hey Man,

Burbank here... Glad to hear you made it.... So true to form it's full para-military? Why did the guy from LAWA (LAX) drop out I wonder? Those guys are screened by the PSED from the City of LA. Anyway, what did you guys do there today? Is the verbal abuse constant or what?

Did you guys wear Class B or C uniforms today?

I was down there tonight. Waiting for my Financial Aid award letter then i'll be ready..

I'm proud of ya man... Keep us posted...

Burbank

[hankido2000]

Well they were yelling basically all day at everyone and anyone who they saw. The guy from LAX was about 48 or 49 and just couldn't handle the pressure of being yelled at. They made fun of his name "Bradley". I don't think he liked being called Omar Bradley. He lasted about 3 hours MAX. Its all verbal abuse. I'm not sure if I'll last in this class, due to some financial resaons. Its very hard to be a pre-service guy. A lot of cash is due up front and without any income for the next 20 weeks, it makes it really hard.

[josephjrr]

Thanks for filling us in on your experiences. I'll be looking forward to posting my experiences real soon.

[Burbank_Hopeful]

Hey Man,

Thanks for the info... Hang in there, you'll pull it off..... Dont give up man.....

Keep us posted.

Burbank

[USAF]

The department I was hired by started their academy on Monday. I will be attending the Apr academy if I can get out of the AF. I kept in contact with another guy who was able to attend this academy. He decided after the first day, it just wasn't what he wanted.

For those who have started or finished an academy, how many people (avg) does an academy lose on the first day?

Also, does the dept. get the tuition fee back? From my understanding, the slot is paid for in advance and once that slot is vacated, nobody else can fill it, so the money isn't refunded. Any truth to that?

[hankido2000]

Im not sure. I pulled myself out of Class 162 but will be attending the next academy class. I think some just can't hang due to the stress while other pre-service guys may have some money issues.