From Recruits To Officers

This is the third installment of a diary by recruits in the current Class XXI at the New Haven Police Academy. Click here for installment one and two. This class graduated on Aug. 1.

Week 20

We were all excited to begin week 20. This week we were back to firearms training and on Monday, without hesitation, we were out on the range early. We divided up into our teams and shot for most of the day. While some were shooting, others watched eagerly as they waited for their turn. The instructors were patient and took their time with each and every recruit so they would become more proficient at shooting. Although we have a limited amount of time in firearms training, it was clear that the instructors were not rushing as this is such an important skill to have. By Tuesday, it was apparent that everyone was improving and with another day on the range we could only get better.

We took an hour out of our time this week to have an informational session with a nutritionists who talked about eating healthy on the go. She was very informative and answered many questions. The main thing we got out of this session was that we needed to stay away from fast food and be mindful about what we are eating all the time.

Our Wednesday firearms class began at 1600 hours. Initially, we went to our offsite facility and learned various ways to use our flashlights for shooting in the dark. For this training, we used sims rounds indoors. Our training continued back at the range. It was somewhat difficult to adjust from shooting in the daylight to shooting in the dark with a flashlight, however, some thought they were able to shoot better at night. We cannot even say it enough — everyone loves firearms training!

During firearms training, it is a more relaxed setting and we are all able to talk to each other and to the instructors without being on edge. During our transition from our offsite facility and the academy range, somehow we managed to acquire Drill Instructor Officer Acosta’s hat and car keys without him knowing. We all conspired with each other on what we should do with them. Some options were to keep them as a bargaining chip, raise them up on the flagpole, or move his vehicle. At one point, one recruit was confronted by Drill Instructor Officer Acosta about his hat and keys. We thought the recruit would crack but he did not. At the end of the night, the class leader presented the hat and keys. The recruits were hysterical in laughter as Drill Instructor Officer Acosta explained how he was going to look for his hat and keys and how he confronted the recruit. The shenanigans went on for a while, back and forth with us and him. Everyone had so much fun. However, we were told we would receive payback and we are still anxiously waiting.

Thursday was a completely different tone for the academy. Three of the squads presented officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. They all did excellent presentations and this was a wakeup call for all of us. It really hits home when you know that there was nothing the officers did incorrect and they were just doing their jobs as they always did every day. We can only do our best to be safe.

The day continued with a ceremony at POST where Detective Faggio from New Haven had his name engraved on the memorial wall. This was a great ceremony and many other departments were there to honor Detective Faggio and all 138 officers from Connecticut who have lost their lives. It was a serious reality check to all the recruits hearing that 21 officers were from New Haven. To hear Sergeant Aponte’s name brought shivers down our spines as he was the husband of Officer Aponte who we have gotten to know at the academy. We were honored to take a photograph with her and her family. We were all glad we were a part of the ceremony.

The week ended with more firearms training. After a long morning, we were all overjoyed by the coffee reward given to us by our instructors. As the day continued, we learned techniques for shooting one handed and with our non-dominant hand. This was very awkward at first but after drilling it over and over again, we all got the hang of it. This was a great week of firearms. We only hope that the instructors realize how much we appreciate all they do for us.

We finished our day with defensive tactics and CrossFit. We always like when Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa throws in defensive tactics. Crossfit is a different story. Everyone has a different take on CrossFit. To some, the training is moving too slow and they feel we need more than one trainer for all 29 of us. The class loses motivation when they see the same workouts and they are not challenged. To others, they feel they are not getting enough out of the workout as they did when Drill Instructor Officer Acosta lead the class.

Week 21

We began the week with more on range shooting. We learned some tactics — walking, pivoting, and side stepping. This week also included practical skills, a written test, and shooting qualifying. We were informed that Class XXI was the first class in the academy history that all students qualified on their first try. We were so proud of ourselves and each other, especially those who have never held a firearm before the academy.

After qualifying, the drill instructors drove all of us to a restaurant for lunch. We were all excited to be able to eat lunch out and to talk to each other while we ate. Who knew that those little things would make us so happy?

At one point in during the week we had to meet out on the range with Sgt. Runlett. When Sgt. Runlett wants to speak with us, we always feel on edge and cannot help but think that we were going to be getting in trouble for something. However, he spoke to us about the importance of conducting thorough pat downs and searches. He explained that there was a recent incident in which a person was searched, went to the hospital and, while at the hospital, a staff member found a weapon in his pants. Luckily the incident did not end up in a tragedy. Sgt. Runlett explained to us the proper way to conduct pat downs and searches and asked us if we had any questions. We were all reluctant to ask the sergeant questions. After he left, some recruits asked the drill instructors questions. Soon after, Sergeant Runlett addressed the class again. He wanted us to know that it was okay to ask him questions, especially important questions on what he was talking to us about. We then went over the specific questions with Sgt. Runlett. He ended the conversation by let us know that he is available to answer any questions, even when we are out of the academy.

Thursday came and unfortunately firearm training was over. We all went to the POST academy for driver’s training. We made sure that we were on point and squared away so that we represented the New Haven Police Academy well. It was a long day in the classroom; however, the instructors kept our attention as they had a good balance of jokes and seriousness.

On Friday, we were split up — half the class went to the academy and half the class went to POST to continue driver’s training. At the academy the class was so quiet and it felt empty without the remainder of the class. The recruits at the academy spent part of the day in the classroom and part of the day on the range learning how to tactically clear rooms. At POST, the recruits began driving. Although the day was extra-long, they had fun driving and really liked the instructors.

We had a great PT class this week led by Drill Instructor Officer Acosta. We were all motivated and thrilled. All of the recruits thought it was the best workout they have had in months and are looking forward to many more just like it.

Week 22

This week began a little differently than most other weeks. We came in on Memorial Day to participate in a youth initiative. The academy had teenagers from New Haven schools come in to hang out with all of us for the day. Throughout the day we participated in ice breaker activities and got to know a little bit about all of the kids. As we began to get closer with them we started to discuss more serious topics, such as the police and their public perception. As we talked with all the kids they explained to us how a lot of people do not have the greatest perception of the police; however, they all acknowledged that they believe that this is not the correct perception. They understood that there are going to be bad individuals in all lines of work and that this should not be the perception on everyone in the field. Overall everyone really seemed to enjoy this day and it was a great opportunity to get involved with the community.

For the majority of the remaining week our class was split into two groups. One group stayed at the New Haven Academy to learn about room and building clearing, while the other group went to the POST Academy up at Meriden to learn driving techniques.

For those of us that stayed at New Haven we learned techniques such as pieing the doorway, digging the corners, and scanning our areas of responsibility. On our last day for this subject we were taken to an off-site location. We utilized an apartment building that had an abandoned floor that the department used for training purposes for the past few years. Everyone really enjoyed this day. We were able to apply all the principles we had learned in previous days and used them on real rooms. For most of us, this was not a smooth transition. We were used to the practice rooms that were made with perfect dimensions, and now we were dealing with rooms that were not designed the same way. After we got past that, we realized all we had to do was ignore any pre-judgments of the areas and just apply the tactics we had learned and react accordingly to each room. The day ended with us going through a scenario that tied in all the aspects we learned throughout the week. We were partnered up and told to go clear a room as we saw fit. As we all went through the room we had to identify which targets were hostile and which were innocent bystanders. The whole scenario was a great learning experience for all of us.

For those of us that were up at the POST Academy, we learned driving techniques such as skidding, backing, evasive maneuvers, and several others. All of these techniques were something that most of us were not used to. We all have never really driven a car in the manner that we need to in order to be able to do with this job. It was easy to see that there was a learning curve that went along with this course. As the week progressed more and more people seemed to get the hang of the techniques and principles that they had to apply. This was not a perfect course though. During the training we were split up into two groups. While one group was driving the other group was sitting around and waiting, sometimes for up to four hours. A lot of us would describe it as very unorganized and not thought out. We do understand that not everything can be perfect; however, there is a lot of room for improvement.

The highlight of the week for all of us was making the transition into blue phase. As we all made our way into the offsite facility for PT, we were all put into formation as Captain Johnson came in front to speak to all of us. She made several points during her speech about how we were being given more freedom now and that we had to start keeping ourselves and each other in check. Another major point was that the department is currently very young with all the retirements about to take place. Even with all of these retirements Captain Johnson stated that she is not worried because people always step up to fill those people shoes, no matter how big they are.

The week ended with Capt. Johnson’s retirement at the academy. As we all sat in our classroom several officers, sergeants, lieutenants, and chiefs came in. They all went around the room telling stories about Captain Johnson and how influential she has been to them and the department. It was already clear to all of us how important Captain Johnson was to the department, hearing all of these stories confirmed that belief for all of us. To Class XXI, we saw Capt. Johnson as a great leader, role model, and person. All of us will remember the times where we messed up and she was right there to make sure we paid for it. However, we will also remember how she would tell us when we were doing well and join us in our PT sessions. Each one of us has some memory of her that we will keep with us. She is someone we all inspire to be one day, and we cannot thank her enough for everything that she has done for us. She will truly be missed by all of us, but we know she will continue to do great things for the remainder of her life.

Week 23

We started week 23 in the classroom all day which was challenging for some since the previous week was full of out of the classroom learning. At one point, a recruit dropped a page from their notes and the page was found by the academy staff. We were told that we need to know that everything in our notes can be used in court proceedings so we need to make sure our notes are clear and organized. We were taught this lesson by going outside and doing pushups and other exercises. Monday ended with a great CrossFit workout that everyone felt really good about. We were definitely all motivated.

For the next three days, each group went to their separate locations — one group went to the POST Academy in Meriden and learned driving techniques while the other group stayed at the New Haven Police Academy and learned room/building clearing.

The group at the POST Academy made sure they were on point and positively represented the New Haven Police Academy. The recruits knew what they were in store for since the previous group completed the driving training the week before. Unfortunately the number of students to only three (3) instructors led to a lot of down time for the recruits. The recruits utilized that down time to study for an upcoming exam.

The driving instructors certainly had a different teaching style as they had a strange sort of humor. After spending time with them, some recruits understood some of the style. The bazaar humor was simply a distraction to help the students keep their minds occupied so as not to over think the task and it actually helped. As one recruit stood on the sidelines and watched the vehicle go by filled with other recruits, they saw the smiles and laughter in the vehicle.

The group at the New Haven Police Academy went through the clearing course with the instructors as if it were a real life ​“Call of Duty” cut scene. However, one morning, they were disciplined by Sergeant Runlett, the new academy commander, for not having their uniform of the day squared away. This lesson was heard loud and clear by all recruits — while only less than 2 months left in the academy, they cannot be getting lackadaisical.

Friday came and everyone was back at the academy and realized that they actually missed being with each other. Many greeted each other with hugs and explaining how they missed each other. It really showed how strong all of our bonds were that we all were not even able to go three days without missing each other. Some of the recruits were not looking forward to the day as it was a day of volunteering at the Special Olympics and partaking in the torch run. However, their attitude changed quickly. We were all assigned tasks and we were the gears that helped run the event. We had the responsibility of bringing the athletes out to their marks, starting the race, timing the athletes, and presenting the medals. Being able to help the athletes and see how excited they were to participate in the event and how excited they were when the received their medals was a rewarding experience for all of us. This was community policing at its finest.

The torch run began at the Woodbridge town line and ended at Southern Connecticut State University. The Woodbridge Police Department handed off the torch to Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa. The torch was passed to many recruits who got a chance to lead the run. One recruit said that the torch run made him excited to be a police officer in New Haven and really thought Class XXI impressed a lot of people with their motivation. Everyone enjoyed the entire day of festivities. We will definitely be a part of this event in the future.

Week 24

As week 24 began we were all already not even thinking about Monday. We were already looking ahead to Tuesday. This was because we had our Domestic Violence test that day with Capt. Johnson. We knew that this would be a challenging test for most of us. The main reason for this was because we learned the material so long ago. However, this was a very useful way to practice our memorization. It forced us to make sure that we did not simply forget the information we learned after the class was completed. This is a skill we must all learn to master. The lessons we learn in the academy are items that we will have to learn to apply on a day to day basis for the next 25 years in our careers.

When Tuesday came you could see all of us taking any opportunity we had to study just a little bit more for the test. I believe a lot of us wanted to do well and show Capt. Johnson that we had not forgotten the material she had taught us. When we were about to begin the test, Capt. Johnson let us know that we would be able to use our red books throughout the test. She explained that her reasoning behind it was that we must be able to navigate this book and know where everything is in it, because it will make our jobs that much easier when we are out on the street. Even with this everyone still made sure that they did not rush through the test and made sure that they took their time with each and every question. Now all we can do is eagerly await our test results.

Test results have become something that almost everyone has told us to stop worrying about. They all have said that once you are out on the streets it will not matter what grade you got on a specific test. However, to many of us it does matter. We do not like to settle for just an average grade. We all try to push ourselves and be better at everything we do.

Thursday had now come, and we did not know it yet, but it was about to be one of our most influential days thus far. We were getting our simulation training. Throughout the day we were given scenarios that were meant to induce as much stress as possible on us. Many of us were able to see what training we would default back to, and how we would react to the stress. While some of us may not have reacted the most correct way, no one stood there and did nothing. That was one thing that all of our drill instructors were impressed by. They told us that people will have a fight, flight, or freeze response. In the past they stated that some people have had the flight response, but were glad to see that no one in our class did. The drill instructors discussed each of the scenarios with us so we understood the fundamental tactics in each situation. As the day ended we ran the scenarios through our heads over and over again. We wanted to make sure we learned from our mistakes so that we do not repeat them in the future. All of us are looking forward to hopefully having more of these scenarios in the near future as our time here at the academy would be ending soon.

Throughout this week we have been able to engage in more defensive tactics. During our physical training Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa has been taking one squad at a time to continue our defensive tactics training. This has allowed each squad to get more individualized training. Everyone seemed to greatly enjoy this training since defensive tactics was one of the class’s favorite subjects and everyone looked forward to the day it was their squads turn to train.

While the academy has been great for all of us thus far, there were still some things that bother the majority of the class. We all love the idea of getting involved with the community and participating in many events that put us out in the public view. Where the problem lies with all of us is when these events start as voluntary and then change to mandatory on short notice. Another area of concern for us is equipment. We have been told that when our equipment becomes damaged or defective to let the academy staff know immediately by writing a memo. We then wait weeks until recruits have to submit memos again stating the problem with their equipment. One major concern for all of us is with graduation, if we make it to that point. We have been trying to ask about where the event will take place, at what time, how many people we are allowed to bring, and other logistical questions that go along with it. We all want to know so that family and friends we care about can make the appropriate arrangements to be there for us. We still believe that the training we are receiving is top notch; however, we feel it can only get better if we express our concerns.

Week 25

Monday of this week was a long full day of classroom. Instructors tried to engage the class as best they could to keep us from fading. Some recruits were on high alert for those who were known to fade quickly. We all look out for each other even more than we have in the past.

When Tuesday came we were very excited to have defensive tactics for the entire morning. The morning ended with Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa telling a personal story about an incident he was involved in early in his career. Everyone got comfortable and listened attentively. It is always great to listen to the instructors’ stories but this story was really captivating. There was no better way to end a morning, except for lunch at Modern Apizza. We all carpooled and met the drill instructors for lunch. We love when the drill instructors go out to eat with us.

In the afternoon, we met retired New Haven Detective Stacy Spell. We learned about his tremendous involvement in the community. He spoke with conviction and kept everyone’s attention. Detective Spell stated, ​“We are pigs — Pride, Integrity, and Guts.” He ended the class by giving each and every one of us individualized words of encouragement.

At one point during the week Sgt. Runlett was in the classroom for open discussion. Sgt. Runlett made himself available to answer any questions we had about anything. He also informed us that we all passed our domestic violence test which made some express a sign of relief. We had some discussions but probably did not take enough advantage of this as we should. When given this opportunity, we are somewhat hesitant to speak because we feel that we are skipping over the chain of command; however, we definitely are more comfortable communicating with Sgt. Runlett than before.

Wednesday was full day of classroom learning about the Yale Child Study program. We had an opportunity to sit in on a meeting that is conducted every week with district managers, individuals from DCF, and individuals from Yale Child Study. We saw how important it was to have the organizations work together to effectively handle cases. This was a great class in that we now have a better understanding of what Yale Child Study is all about and what their role is when it comes to helping the children of the community.

The next day continued with another full day of classroom. We had the privilege of having another class with Mr. Spector. Mr. Spector always kept our attention and always kept us on our toes. His class this week was no different. The structure of the class was an open forum that involved discussions about cases and case law. Although the subject matter got a little confusing during the discussions, we talked it through, and came to understand the point. Having a class with Mr. Spector again was a great opportunity to see how much we all have grown in the academy. The last time we had him was very early on, when we were all still learning the basics of police work. Now we were engaging with him and talking through scenarios, where as in the past we would sit back and listen to what he had to say.

Another interactive class was with Lt. Colon. Everyone loves when Lt. Colon comes into the classroom to teach. We learned about many different cultures and customs. When we get out on the streets we will be dealing with individuals from other cultures and we need to understand the cultures and customs so as not to offend anyone.

The week ended with a great run and defensive tactics at Sleeping Giant State Park with Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa, Drill Instructor Officer Acosta, and Drill Instructor Officer Young. While at the lookout tower at the summit we met some children from New Haven’s Hope Child Development Center who were excited to take a picture with us. During defensive tactics, we were approached by someone from Savannah, Ga. who expressed his appreciation for police officers. One recruit said, ​“If today wasn’t a perfect representation of a dictionary definition of community policing I don’t know what would be.” It was in fact a great afternoon.

Week 26

As week 26 was starting, many of did not know how to feel about what the week had in store for us. We knew that we were going to be in the classroom all week for EMR classes. Everyone’s expectation was that the week was going to drag by and the classes would be very boring. However, we all still went into it with an open mind ready to take on the week.

When the class started we were introduced to our instructor for the week, Officer Fedor from the Trumbull Police Department. While teaching the class Officer Fedor told us that he knew some of the material was very dry and that he would do his best to break up with PowerPoint presentations with breaks and hands on activities.

We were able to learn several different techniques and applications during the week. Some of them included how to carry properly carry people, how to open an airway, and had a large chunk of time dedicated to CPR. During the CPR training we first learned the proper technique of how to do it, and then we moved on to the hands on application. During the hands on we were utilizing CPR dummies that allowed us to know if we were correctly administering the techniques. Everyone seemed to realize how important of a skill this is to have for a police officer. We are usually the first people to arrive at any scene, so if we are able to begin helping a person until medical arrives it can only help that person. Another important skill we learned was how to apply a tourniquet. One thing we learned quickly was that the process up putting one on is painful. However, we now know that means we are doing it correctly.

One thing that everyone enjoyed this week was getting fitted for our uniforms. Everyone definitely felt a sense of pride when they were able to put the uniform on. Some people definitely made sure to take some extra time in the locker room to look at themselves in the mirror. Having this experience makes all of realize how close we are to being done with the academy. Everyone definitely has a sense of excitement mixed with a little nervousness about going out to the streets.

When Friday came around we were all looking forward to our long holiday weekend. We may have gotten a little too relaxed in the morning and was reprimanded for it throughout the day. Anytime we went anywhere that day we had to carry a tire around with us. We went on a couple runs through the neighborhoods with our tires, and we could see people watching us wondering why we were running with tires. The last portion was us doing physical exercises out in the driveway while being sprayed with the hose. Throughout the whole day we all still stayed up beat and went along with what was happening. Our class is really close to each other and it will take something a lot bigger to break us up.

As Friday ended we all realized that we only have a month left in the academy. We are all ready for it to be over, but it is definitely something that has created lasting memories for all of us. More importantly though, we have created long lasting friendships that we will keep for the rest of our lives.

Week 27

Although it was tough to come back to the academy after a three day holiday weekend, everyone was ready for week 27 and counting down the days to graduation.

We started the week with an informative session with Sgt. Runlett and Sgt. Dominguez. The session included a detailed discussion about the 12 weeks of field training following graduation. We were told exactly what to expect and what was expected of us. We all felt relieved that we were not going to go into field training blindly.

Sgt. Runlett assigned one of the toughest homework assignments we ever had to do thus far in the academy. Our homework was to complete a peer evaluation which consisted of choosing three classmates who we would like to be partnered with and three classmates who were at the bottom of the list. In addition to indicating our choices, we had to explain why. For many the assignment took hours to complete. Some realized that we have all grown closer to each other than we thought.

This week we participated in one of everyone’s favorite subjects — defensive tactics! We had the chance to review some of the moves we learned during our training in defensive tactics. It was stressed to us that in order to become proficient we need to continue to train after we are out of the academy.

For PT we ran approximately two miles up to the top of East Rock Park escorted by New Haven’s motorcycle units. This was a very challenging run; however, we all made it up without incident. At the summit we gazed at the stunning view of New Haven, ​“our” city. An unspoken sense of pride came over all of us.

The week continued with more EMR classes taught through PowerPoint and hands on training. Officer Fedor kept our attention by including discussions about his experiences. Although the two week EMR session dragged, everyone enjoyed having Officer Fedor as an instructor.

Unfortunately the recent tragedies that occurred this week relating to officer involved shootings put everyone on extra high alert. First thing Friday morning Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa addressed our class and we had an open discussion concerning the incidents. In the afternoon, Assistant Chief Casanova and Assistant Chief Generoso came in to address our class. They informed us of the measures that the New Haven Police Department has taken to ensure the safety of all officers. Assistant Chief Generoso expressed his deep concern for us and our families. He insisted that everyone talk to their families about the incidents. We were given the opportunity to ask any questions we had about anything. We all appreciated that the assistant chiefs took time out of their busy day to address us and reassure us.

Week 28

Our whole class has begun counting down the days until we graduate and begin the field training program. Even with all these thoughts we still knew that we had to focus on this week.

One class that stuck out for everyone this week was the Kingian Nonviolence Training. Before the class started we were informed that we were the first class to be taught this material within the department. As the class was getting ready to start we did not know what to expect. We have had similar classes in the past that had not gone well. Once the class started though, we could tell that it was going to be different. A few days before we had the class we were given an assignment to watch the short film Selma. We started the class of talking about what we saw in the movie and how we felt about it. All of us in the class were upset by the violent actions of the police and knew that was something that we never wanted to be a part of. Another thing that everyone noticed during the movie was how organized and planned the movement was. They planned out every step and did everything in a way that helped them achieve their end goal. We then began to discuss the six steps of nonviolence strategies. The instructors had everyone in the class write something down about each step and what it meant to them. As we went around explaining what we wrote down we could all see that the instructors were impressed at how quickly we understood the material. Pastor John Lewis even stated that he could not wait for us to get out to the streets if we continued this training out there. As the class ended we were all wishing that it could have gone longer.

Another great class for everyone was defensive tactics. We spent the entire day Wednesday reviewing all of the techniques we have learned throughout the academy. Towards the end of the day we went over two-on-one situations. As we went through it we realized very quickly how difficult it can be to put someone under control even when you have extra people. The main point we took away from it was that communication is key. You can be really strong, but if you are unable to communicate with your partner about what you want to do then it will be very difficult to achieve your end goal.

We ended the week with our last practical skills day. As we began everyone was very anxious to start. Our previous two practicals were not as successful as we all wanted them to be. Before we began our Drill Instructors talked to us and told us to take our time and think everything through and we would do fine. It was clear to us that they wanted to see us succeed. As we went through each scenario it was clear to see that we were all happy with how we were doing. Everything we had learned throughout the academy was all starting to click as we applied it to the scenarios. As the day went along we were given another surprise. Our body armor had arrived for us. We wore them for the remainder of the day and we all realized that the only thing we were missing now were the blue uniforms. As we finished the day we all left satisfied with how we had performed that day. There is still room for improvement but we all have definitely progressed from our first practical.

As the day ended we all realized that there are only two week left in the academy. There is a bit of nervousness and excitement in all of us right now. For now though we will continue to focus on these last couple weeks and continue to improve.

Week 29

Everyone was excited as week 29 began because we knew we had only two weeks left until we were going to hit the streets. We did not expect that this week would include taking our POST final written and agility tests. Monday and Thursday we took our written tests and Tuesday we took our agility test.

Our agility test took place at the POST Academy in Meriden. As each person took their test, the remainder of the class cheered them on with so much enthusiasm. We were all there for each other and everyone passed. It was a great day.

One class this week was with Chief Esserman. He stressed to us our core values — duty, honor, integrity, courage, and compassion. He told us, ​“you are not warriors, you are guardians.” We were given the opportunity to have open discussions about many topics which included the recent tragedies around the nation and his recent visits to meet with President Obama. Chief Esserman closed the class with the statement, ​“tough times don’t last, tough cops do, be tough.” Although these times are challenging for law enforcement officers, everyone in Class XXI is ready.

We also had a class with Sergeant Runlett. As always we were apprehensive but we had a great class. He talked about his experiences and answered many questions. Sergeant Runlett expressed to us how proud he was of everyone. This meant a lot to all of us.

When we received our written test results, we were all relieved to know that we passed. It was like a weight was lifted off our shoulders and the reality set in. We were all going to be New Haven Police Officers. One student said ​“Nearing the end and having time to see how far we all have progressed from early interviews to now and not only as individuals but a blended second family that will always have each other’s backs…never look back forever charging forward.”

Week 30

We had finally reached week 30, our last week in the academy. We were all ready for it to go by quick so we could move onto the next step in our career. However, we still had to get through the week before that.

The first three days had all of us split up for our computer system training. Half of the class stayed at the academy, while the other half went to the fire academy. During those three days we learned all the ins and outs of the system so that we’ll be able to have a solid understanding of it once we are out on the streets. It was very easy to tell that it was a lot of information for all of us to process. However, we all kept going and it all slowly started to click in everyone’s head.

Wednesday morning was a little different for us. We had PT in the morning instead of the afternoon. This was done because we were going on a run with Assistant Chief Casanova. Throughout the run we made several stops in the city, including City Hall. The run motivated everyone to push through the last few days. It was great to see Assistant Chief Casanova leading us the entire way through. It was great to see that he has a vested interest in us and our future as police officers. He is someone that we all have a great amount respect for and aspire to be like.

We spent the whole day on Thursday learning about fingerprints. Detective Brosnahan taught us all the techniques we will need to become fingerprint technicians. The class ended with us going through a scenario that tested all of the skills we just learned. We were going to be the first class to be certified fingerprint technicians and we will be called upon by officers throughout the city to process fingerprints on scene. By the end of the day all of us were ready to apply the techniques in the street.

Friday had finally come, and we were all ready for it. A tradition with the academy is to have the class run from the academy to Lighthouse Point Park. As we were getting ready to start the run it began to rain; however, that was not going to stop us — nothing was going to stop us today. As we ran it gave us the chance to look back and reflect on the past seven months. While we were running we decided to make a couple pit stops. One of the stops was at Dunkin Donuts. While we were standing outside rehydrating, our drill instructors came out of the store with donuts for everyone. We all got a laugh out of it, and definitely enjoyed the donuts. After that we continued on with run. The rain definitely made the run tougher, but we all knew we had each other’s backs and everyone was going to make it to the end.

As we approached the end everyone could see the water, and we knew we were almost done. We all stood on the beach taking in the view, and thinking about how quick the past seven months had gone by. After that it was time to have some fun. We all ran up to Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa, some of us pick him up and we all ran into the water. Senior Drill Instructor Sgt. Rosa was then thrown into the water. Sgt. Runlett and Drill Instructor Officer Young joined us. While we were all enjoying the water Sgt. Runlett and Sgt. Rosa came up to each and every one of us to congratulate us on our accomplishment. We had not only completed the run, we had completed the academy.

Our day was not complete yet. The cadre had one last thing for us. We all went to the lighthouse and stood in formation. Sgt. Rosa explained to us that they were not able to give us our badges, but they still wanted to do something for us and start a new tradition. They had come out to the lighthouse earlier in the week and selected a rock for all us. They wanted to be able to give us something to remember this exciting day and our time at the academy, and it is definitely something that we will never forget.

Our time at the academy will finally come to an end when we graduate on Monday. These past seven months have been a journey that none of us will ever forget. We are all extremely eager to get out onto the streets on Tuesday. Our seven months has come to an end, but our career as New Haven Police Officers over the next 25 years is just beginning.