Week Two of 'Post Academy'

This is the last week we'll be spending at the academy. I'll start my first training shift (on the streets) on Tuesday, 01/31.

On Monday, we got to suit up in pads and practice low-light building entries. This time, other classmates were positioned in closets, behind furniture, etc. with paint ball guns ready to shoot as we searched for them. We learned different techniques for using flashlights to spot a suspect before being shot at. During one of the drills, I was on one knee peeking into a dark room while my partner pointed a flashlight into the room from over my head. He then pointed the light directly down on my head (he thought he turned it off first) and the suspect in the room immediately saw me and shot me in the hand. Even though we were in full pads, the fingers are unprotected and the most painful place to get hit. I'm now sporting a colorful welt/blister on my index finger as a reminder of my partner's great tactics.

On Tuesday, we spent the entire day learning how to use the Phoenix police criminal records computer system. This allows you to look up the criminal history of any person, vehicle, or address for any time period. It also shows license registration status, outstanding warrants, and other police incident information. We're not permitted to look up anyone we know (like family or friends) so you can all breathe a sigh of relief if you've been hiding any 'dark secrets.'

Today (Wednesday), we learned some ground-fighting techniques and then got to practice them on each other. It's amazing how quickly a person becomes exhausted when trying to get off the ground while being punched, kicked, and wrestled. I learned a lot of things today and am more confident I'll do well if I ever have to fight someone for real. It was a lot of fun but my neck, back, and knees are feeling pretty sore and I'll bet tomorrow morning will reveal even more aches.