Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Academy (Part Deux)...

Once again, I was watching The Academy and started yelling at the television.

A recruit was having issues passing a physical agility test, having repeatedly failed the test and all remediation attempts. The camera cut to a scene with the recruit and an RTO walking on the academy grounds with the RTO's arm around the recruit's shoulders as the recruit cried because she was not able to complete the test.

When a recruit had issues in my academy, the RTO may have counseled you, but they did not walk you around and cuddle you while you cried. If you couldn't hack it, you were gone. What is this touchy feely crap? Is this the kinder gentler academy? In the academy I attended we would have been told to pack our trash and go home.

The RTO's are not your buddies!

When you can't hop a fence to save your partner's ass, I assure you I will not be cuddling you. I will be hopping that fence and saving your partner's ass for you. If you're crying because you can't get over the fence, you'll be doing it by yourself.

So much for "reality" TV...

6 comments:

*Goddess* said...

I wish they had done a new season of this show. I miss it.

My favorite part of the second Academy was where the officers stole a recruit's guns right out of his car and hid them, then waited for him to come to them and tell them they had been taken...LOL. They were so sneaky:)

Steve'nLubbock said...

It isn't reality when the participants/performers can see a camera, but unscripted crap!
CANDID CAMERA was a reality show way before the concept came about.

911 and the Randomness.. said...

This touchy feely crap has gone to far!!! I sure as hell don't want someone like that being my husbands only back up!
If you can't hack it, you can't be a cop. End of story.

M.G. Reaper said...

This is the new reality. We can't afford to have the the self-esteem of anyone damaged.

When I was eliminated at the PSP academy for eyesight, I accepted it. I want the best to be selected not whiners that dream of a uniform. Accept your fate and move on. I did and have no regrets for not getting eye surgery to correct one eye.

A few years later I got a letter about a lawsuit because of eyesight requirement. What a joke. I guess you should be a cop even if you're blind.

Lunchbox said...

Amen, amen, amen... This same theory goes for the Fire service as well. Also, I wanted to agree with you on your Part I posting- I carried on duty for a number of years in the Puddle Pirates (aka the USCG). If I had to think about where my weapon was before drawing, I'd be screwed into the deckplates. A boat has, on average, six feet of space from side to side. Less when you count all the crap people stuff on them. That means I was *really* close to the people I dealt with. If I were either used to keeping a hand on the weapon, or didn't know where it were, I'd pretty much guarantee failure should I ever have to draw it instinctively. We were always taught "one hand for the boat, one hand for you", meaning hold on to something so your dumb landlubber arse doesn't fall down. Now which hand is going to stay on the handle of my weapon??

Oh, and that recruit that couldn't hack the physical nature of he academy? WTF did she think Police work was about? Planting dasies? If you can't do the job, find another one. Go be a meter maid, a dispatcher, or a damn taxi driver (no disrespect to any of those jobs, but you're less likely to have to fight for your life or your partner's).

Get real, folks. Learn what goes on out here, plan accordingly, and train like it's real. Because it's going to be real the next time you actually need those skills!

Stay safe, Brother.

Anonymous said...

Not that its approperate or not, but I remember doing the dying cockroach and millions of push-ups and so much more. Now they get paid O.T. for staying late on range days or if the LD 13 teacher showed up late.