Lost But Now Found
Chapter 6 - The Police Academy
The late winter Police Academy Class is in military formation in the Reception Hall of the Academy. They are all still in civilian clothes as they had not yet been issued their uniforms and other gear. For some of them this would be their first taste of a military style training. Most of them appear nervous, the remainder just look clueless. They are being addressed by the Police Academy Senior Training Instructor.
The TI begins his initiation speech to the Police Cadets: "Listen up all of you Police Cadets, you are here to learn how to become Police Officers. This will be a four month Police Academy conducted in a manner similar to Military Boot Camp. So from now on and until the end of this program, your Training Instructors own you. You will learn from them. You will obey their every word. You will not question them unless invited to do so. If you wish to do anything your TI's do not call for, or have not instructed you to do, you must ask permission first to do so. Then, and only then, may you complete that request. Failure to comply with TI guidance is subject to disciplinary action. Do I hear a Yes Sir?
"Yes Sir, the class says, all individually, and certainly not all in unison.
"Was that a response? If it was, it is a weak reply. I need to hear your reply loudly and in one voice."
"Yes sir", they respond again but louder and more in sync.
"I can't hear you?!"
"Yes Sir", they say again but even louder and almost in unison.
"I still can't hear you."
"Yes, Sir!"
This is repeated a couple more times until the whole reception hall is shaking from the thunderous response said in complete sync.
Once satisfied with the response, the Senior Training Instructor continues, "I will now take roll call, the appropriate response to hearing your name is Here Sir".
He begins, "Abbott, James"
"Here sir."
He continues until he gets to Kate, "Beckett, Katherine"
"Here Sir."
"Cadet Beckett is one of four females in the class. There will be no fraternization between genders. Any fraternization between genders at this Academy will result in expulsion. Let me make that clear. Also the fourth female cadet in the class is a Medical Examiner Intern and is properly addressed as 'Intern'. All Interns have Seniority and will be treated as such. Interns will be shown deference as they are considered equivalent to Senior Cadets and are also Medical Doctors. Interns will attend some of your basic classes and will share barracks room thru Basic . After Basic all Interns are assigned their own rooms and will start their specialized ME classes. Am I clear?"
"Yes Sir" and once again the reception hall shakes from the loud response.
The TI continues roll call and gets to this one name, "Demming, Thomas"'
No response.
"Demming, Thomas"
"Ah, oh...Here Sir!"
"That was slow Cadet. Were you day dreaming? There will be no day dreaming in this class! Get down Demmming and give me thirty pushups for being slow to respond and I want to hear each count followed by a Sir. Do it cadet."
Demming is in shock by the TI's rebuke. He gets into position and starts the push-ups.
"One, Sir", after the first count.
"Two, Sir"
"Three, Sir"
Demming continues but by the count of twenty-five, he is weakening, his voice is shaky, and he is slow to finish to thirty. Upon reaching the count of Thirty, he stands up at Attention.
"You Cadet Demming are out of shape. But we will take care of that. This first week you will all start Physical Training . It will begin with an initial PT test to see if you can meet NYPD physical training standards. Those meeting standards will attend regular PT class. Those not meeting the standards will have regular PT class and also weekend remedial PT conditioning. Those PT standards are as follows: the 1.6 mile cross country run in 12.5 minutes, 30 push-ups, 35 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 8 pull-ups, and successful completion of the obstacle course. Failure to meet these standards by any Cadet during the final PT test will result in a 'Did Not Graduate' status from this Academy. Are these standards clear?"
"Yes Sir" comes the thunderous response.
There are four females in the class: Kate Beckett, Rosalind Karpowski, Anne Hastings, and a ME Intern, Doctor Lanie Parrish. All ME Interns were to qualify on pistol and would do weapons training with their class. Intern Parish having a Senior Cadet status is not subject to the extreme hazing experienced by the other Police Cadets, but they could be dressed down for committing an infraction, but TI's were easier on Interns than the other cadets. Interns also got weekends off from the start. The police cadets had to earn weekends off by passing all basic requirements, normally in six to eight weeks. Weekends off privilege meant they could leave Friday night to be with family or friends and return before Lights Out on Sunday. Unless of course if they had a remedial weekend class or were working off demerits given to them for infractions.
All Academy classes endeavored to complete basic requirements as quickly as possible. The shortest time record was 5 weeks, the longest was 10 weeks, 6 to 8 weeks was the standard. Once granted weekend leave privileges, they obtain a Senior Cadet status, and hazing was minimized on them, much like the Interns. Rather than physical punishments, demerits were normally issued to senior cadets for infractions. During study hours Senior Cadets were granted after hours cafeteria privileges and could go to the cafeteria for additional snacks and drinks which they could consume in their room as they studied. They also had phone privileges and were allowed cell phone use.
The junior classes that were weeks behind them had to address them as Senior Cadet (surname) when speaking to them. As senior cadets, they also conducted the weekly uniform and room inspections on the junior classes and they could award demerits for any infractions committed during these inspections. Senior Cadets were identified with white tape placed on each end of the Name Tag, the Cadet's name appearing between the two taped ends. So at the Academy getting your 'tapes' meant becoming a senior cadet.
So, these perks and extra responsibilities were great incentives for all the classes to get to Senior Cadet status as quickly as they could.
Later That Evening
All female Cadets/Interns shared the same barracks room. The Academy Interns shared rooms with their classmates until the end of basic, and then they had their own room to themselves. Interns also took the same courses as cadets, until passing basic, upon which they had their on classes for ME Interns. Now in their room, the female cadets/intern had all introduced themselves to each other. Being the females in the class, they knew they had a challenge ahead. They were competing in a male dominated profession. So bonding was a way to start what would become a life-time association for them as well as establishing a mutual support group to get them thru the Academy. All promised to help their sister cadets when needed. They also provided good morale support for one another as there were only four of them in the class that understood what they were going thru.
Their barracks room had four single beds in each corner of the room. A clothes locker was located next to each bed. In the center was a study table large enough for all of them, that is where they now sat sharing their info with one another. The normal day for a cadet started at 0500 hours with a mile run and PT and the day continued till 1700 hours, followed by dinner. From 1900 hours till lights out was study time. They had to be in their rooms and studying during these times. Upon sounding of 'lights out' over the PA system, all cadets were to be in bed and asleep.
Three of the female Cadets: Beckett, Karpowski, and Hastings were from the NYC metro area. Intern Parish was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she finished top of her Premed class and Medical Course at Toulane University and then on to advanced medical studies at John Hopkins University. All the females were single but Hastings revealed she was in a serious relationship. Kate did not reveal she had a daughter and was staying with the baby daddy of her child. Her roommates would learn soon enough about that.
"What is your biggest concern about graduating", asked Cadet Hastings.
"PT", was the unanimous response.
"The pull-up requirement is where most female cadets have trouble as we do not have the same upper body strength as the guys and yet we must complete the same number of push-ups and pull-ups", says Intern Parish.
"I miss being home and being able to speak to my family", Karpowski sounded off.
"We all feel that way, let's just vow to help each other to make it thru to graduation", says Kate.
"Yes Sir!", was the loud and in-sync response of her roommates.
They all laughed at their response that drew humor from what had happened to Cadet Demming with the Senior TI. Just then one of the male cadets pokes his head thru their door.
"Permission to enter", he asks.
"Granted Cadet", is the response.
"Hi ladies, I thought I would introduce myself along with some of the rest of us, I'm Javi Esposito".
"Nice to meet you Javi."
Javi continues to introduce the other male cadets who entered.
"This man is Kevin Ryan who we have nicknamed Irish, for obvious reasons", continues Espo.
"His looks do kind of give him away", the ladies say in humor.
"This is Tom Demming who now holds the dubious distinction of having been the first in the class to be dress down by the Senior TI, emphasis on Senior."
"That was painful to watch", says Karpowski.
"You got no idea!", responds Demming.
"This is ME Intern Doctor Sydney Perlmutter."
"Dr. Perlmutter, welcome", says Lanie
"And likewise, to you Dr Parish", Sydney says in reply.
Interns were identified by their name tags. The cadets had standard black plastic name tags with white lettering on their tags, the Interns were the opposite with white badges and black lettering for theirs.
"And this is Cadet Brent Edwards."
The female cadets all look at Edwards. He is a tall, slender, and a very attractive blonde-haired man. He is the human equivalent of a Ken doll. However, it is the facial expression from Kate that has caught everyone's attention. It is a look of familiarity mixed with some angst.
"Hey Kate", are the first words out of Brent's lips.
"You two know each other?", asks Ryan.
"You want to tell them Kate?"
Kate recovers from her initial reaction to Edwards and then speaks, "Yeah, we were.. kinda of like... an item in high school."
"You two were high school sweethearts? When was the last time you saw each other?", queries Ann Hastings.
"Ah, just before we went to college. Kate went to Stanford, I went to SUNY. At Senior Prom, she was my date, but we broke up shortly after. We met in Middle School and went steady starting sophomore year of High School; that seems so many years ago now. We have not seen each other since we broke up."
"Well, talk about fate. Reunited at the Police Academy. Sounds like a plot to a Rom-Com", jokes Perlmutter.
Just then the 'lights out' alarm sounds and is announced over the PA system. They have minutes before the barracks goes dark. Everyone heads to their respective rooms and bunks to get some sleep. The ladies each go to their assigned bunk. The lights turn off and the room is filled with darkness. After a few minutes they hear Lanie speak out in a soft and quiet voice.
"Kate, this rom-com story you have with 'Ken Doll' Edwards, was it R rated? I got to know Girl! You are gonna spill all of it to us."
"The man is a hunk, how could you let him go Kate?" is Karpowski's comment.
"Yeah Kate, you got to tell us why it ended", adds Anne Hastings.
"Girls, just shut up, we are gonna be caught for violating 'lights out' and I for one do not want to get demerits to work off during my first weekend at the Academy."
"Okay you get a pass this time, but you are gonna tell us the story on our next free time", Lanie Parish responds back to all of them.
"Good night ladies."
"Good night Kate", her three room-mates whisper in unison.
Kate's mind was racing in many different directions as she struggled to get to sleep. She had missed hearing Brent's name called out during the earlier attendance check. How had she missed that? She had been thinking about Rick and her daughter during that roll call until her name had been called by the Senior TI. She responded as directed, but then drifted back again to thoughts of Rick and Alexis. Their absence from her life was being felt by her. Then Edwards happens, this re-emergence of her old flame back into her life. Brent Edwards, whom she had been intimate with during high school. What was the universe leading her into? It was turning out to be one intriguing Police Academy. She fell asleep with those thoughts racing in her mind as dreams of her daughter and Rick came to her that night.