know how it would affect us.
It was also possible when using pepper spray on a suspect, to have
the wind blow it back on us. I now knew the pepper spray was
practically incapacitating. If I had to shoot a suspect due to any
of these previous scenarios, I could articulate my reasoning due to
my experience. This would be the most painful single experience I
would have at the academy. I never wanted to be pepper sprayed
again.
Thanksgiving break at last. The police
department in Small Town, Arizona was having its annual
Thanksgiving banquet on Saturday and my husband and I were invited.
I was nervous. It would be my first time meeting most of my
department, and I worried about what they would think of
me.
With a potluck dish in hand, my husband and I
arrived and were introduced around to everyone. There was no way to
remember all the Officer’s names much less their spouse’s names.
The Chief and Sergeant’s wives were great. They were excited to
finally be getting a female at the department. The officers stay
back. Besides saying a brief hello, during introductions, they kept
to themselves. I was not deterred. I had won over my fellow cadets
at the academy and I had no doubt I could get along with the
officers I would be working with. The situation would also improve
once I was actually wearing a badge.
There would be plenty of challenges coming my
way in a department that had never before employed a female cop.
But I was looking forward to them. Now all I had to do was finish
my last three weeks at the academy.
Chapter 20 Electric Erection
The end of our time at the academy was in
sight. We could all see it and we were feeling it too. Everything
was being thrown at us at once. We were preparing for the AZ-POST
(Arizona Police Officer Standards and Training Board) exam. This
would be our final. We had to pass in order to be certified as
police officers in the state of Arizona. It covered all the
material we’d learned since entering the academy. We were hitting
the books hard.
We were also preparing for our “stop and
approach” practical tests. These are an even more grueling set of
scenarios than the ones we had in our ninth week. Then, on the
Friday morning of “stop and approach” week, we would be given our
last PO-PAT (physical) test. Our nerves were shot and we were all
tense.
Even with everything being put on our
shoulders, the environment at our dorms in the evening was relaxed.
We spent time sitting around in a large group talking about our
academy experience and singing songs. A couple of the cadets
brought guitars and we listened and joined in whenever we knew the
words.
The cadet who sat on my left in our classroom
finally opened up and told me he did not think I had a chance in
hell of making it through the academy on that first day. He had
just gotten out of the military when he was hired by his agency and
was in top shape.
He sat next to me all those weeks and was
always pleasant but he didn’t really warm up to me until those
evenings we sat around talking, laughing and singing. He was a
great guy and had a great career in front of him as a law
enforcement officer.
I also spoke quite a bit with Class Leader
Clark. I had so much admiration for him. He was the smartest guy I
had ever met. Before coming to the academy he was preparing to take
his L-SAT (Law School Admission Test). He made a last minute change
and decided to go into law enforcement. He had a wife and four
children waiting at home for him. The fate of our class rested on
his shoulders. I don’t think any other cadet could have handled it
as well as him. He had backed me since day one and I would never
forget his encouragement.
My body continued to give me problems and
during one of my chiropractor visits, I was set up with a TENS
machine to help relieve my back pain. The TENS unit gives off
electronic pulses and interrupts the pain signals going to the
brain. One evening I brought it out to our nightly group session
and
It was also possible when using pepper spray on a suspect, to have
the wind blow it back on us. I now knew the pepper spray was
practically incapacitating. If I had to shoot a suspect due to any
of these previous scenarios, I could articulate my reasoning due to
my experience. This would be the most painful single experience I
would have at the academy. I never wanted to be pepper sprayed
again.
Thanksgiving break at last. The police
department in Small Town, Arizona was having its annual
Thanksgiving banquet on Saturday and my husband and I were invited.
I was nervous. It would be my first time meeting most of my
department, and I worried about what they would think of
me.
With a potluck dish in hand, my husband and I
arrived and were introduced around to everyone. There was no way to
remember all the Officer’s names much less their spouse’s names.
The Chief and Sergeant’s wives were great. They were excited to
finally be getting a female at the department. The officers stay
back. Besides saying a brief hello, during introductions, they kept
to themselves. I was not deterred. I had won over my fellow cadets
at the academy and I had no doubt I could get along with the
officers I would be working with. The situation would also improve
once I was actually wearing a badge.
There would be plenty of challenges coming my
way in a department that had never before employed a female cop.
But I was looking forward to them. Now all I had to do was finish
my last three weeks at the academy.
Chapter 20 Electric Erection
The end of our time at the academy was in
sight. We could all see it and we were feeling it too. Everything
was being thrown at us at once. We were preparing for the AZ-POST
(Arizona Police Officer Standards and Training Board) exam. This
would be our final. We had to pass in order to be certified as
police officers in the state of Arizona. It covered all the
material we’d learned since entering the academy. We were hitting
the books hard.
We were also preparing for our “stop and
approach” practical tests. These are an even more grueling set of
scenarios than the ones we had in our ninth week. Then, on the
Friday morning of “stop and approach” week, we would be given our
last PO-PAT (physical) test. Our nerves were shot and we were all
tense.
Even with everything being put on our
shoulders, the environment at our dorms in the evening was relaxed.
We spent time sitting around in a large group talking about our
academy experience and singing songs. A couple of the cadets
brought guitars and we listened and joined in whenever we knew the
words.
The cadet who sat on my left in our classroom
finally opened up and told me he did not think I had a chance in
hell of making it through the academy on that first day. He had
just gotten out of the military when he was hired by his agency and
was in top shape.
He sat next to me all those weeks and was
always pleasant but he didn’t really warm up to me until those
evenings we sat around talking, laughing and singing. He was a
great guy and had a great career in front of him as a law
enforcement officer.
I also spoke quite a bit with Class Leader
Clark. I had so much admiration for him. He was the smartest guy I
had ever met. Before coming to the academy he was preparing to take
his L-SAT (Law School Admission Test). He made a last minute change
and decided to go into law enforcement. He had a wife and four
children waiting at home for him. The fate of our class rested on
his shoulders. I don’t think any other cadet could have handled it
as well as him. He had backed me since day one and I would never
forget his encouragement.
My body continued to give me problems and
during one of my chiropractor visits, I was set up with a TENS
machine to help relieve my back pain. The TENS unit gives off
electronic pulses and interrupts the pain signals going to the
brain. One evening I brought it out to our nightly group session
and
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