Chapter 3 The Police Academy Magnet Program

On Monday after her classes, Sarah changed out of her school clothes and put on her cadet uniform. She pulled her shoulder length hair into a bun. She was going to go to the local police academy, and be part of their magnet program. She had arranged her college classes so that she could attend them in the morning, and the police academy in the afternoon. It was going to be a grueling schedule, but she was ready for it.

The first couple of weeks were going to be fitness training. The first few days she was going to learn the ropes, and then she was going to do physical fitness training the rest of the week. The Angels had told her it would be pretty rigorous. She hoped she was up for the challenge.

Sarah checked in at the police academy's front desk. There was a stern looking female officer behind it. "Name?" She asked.

"Sarah Munroe."

"Birthday?"

"August 4."

"Social Security Number?"

"555-55-5555"

The officer looked through her forms. She pulled out a bunch, stamped and stapled them, and handed them to Sarah. "Here you are, cadet Munroe. Give these to your drill instructor after you look them over and sign them. Report to classroom 1A. Sargeant Carter will be your instructor."

"Thank you."

Sarah took the forms and looked for classroom 1A. She found a pleasant surprise inside. "Lisa!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming here!"

"I didn't know you were coming here either. Let's sit together." Sarah and Lisa sat down at a table. Sarah quickly looked over her forms and signed them. A black girl was standing hesitantly in the door way. Sarah nudged Lisa.

"See that girl in the doorway? Let's ask her to sit with us."

"OK."

Both girls beckoned her over. She sat down with them.

"Thanks, guys. I really didn't want to sit by myself."

"You're welcome. I'm Sarah Munroe. This is my roommate Lisa Kishi."

"Hi. I'm Kianna Morgan."

Sargeant Carter came into the room. Everyone stopped talking and looked up expectantly. "I am Sargeant Carter," he said sternly. "When I, or any other superior officer enters the room, I expect you to stand at full attention, arms at your sides. Let's try this again." Sargeant Carter left the room. He re-entered. The class jumped to its feet, stood at attention, arms at their sides. "Much better. Please be seated. I will now call roll, and explain to you what you will be doing here. I will call each of your names and you will stand at attention as you respond, 'Here, SIR!' " Each cadet jumped to attention as Carter read their names. Sarah watched, and hoped she would do it right. She, Kianna, and Lisa were all in the center of the alphabet and had to wait while for their names. Lisa and Kianna each did theirs flawlessly. "Munroe, Sarah!" Sarah jumped up and stood at attention. Her chair fell over backwards with a clatter.

"Here, SIR!" She said, cheeks flaming.

"Try it again, Munroe, after you pick up your chair."

"Yes, sir."

Sarah picked up her chair and set it into place.

"Here, SIR!" She stood at attention.

"Much better, Munroe."

The sargeant continued to call roll. He put his clipboard down on the desk. "Welcome to the Police Academy Magnet program. You are here because you are interested in police work. This course will help you decide if police work is for will now go over the rules and regulations you will be expected to follow while you are here. "

He proceeded to go down the list of behaviors that would be expected of the class, such as no drugs or alcohol, nor being under the influence of either. The cadets were expected to be in class daily and to arrive promptly. They would be in uniform or acceptable clothing. They would not participate in conduct unbecoming to an officer. They would not be visibly be wearing firearms, unless they were in shooting classes. No food, drink, gambling, or loud noises were permitted in class. Neither was smoking. Parking only in designated areas. Pay phones were provided for the use of personal phone calles, and messages only delivered depending upon urgency. They would be allowed to use the gym at their own risk, provided no classes were in session, and they had the proper clothing. They were not allowed to speak to recruits. Any infraction of the rules could result in dismissal from the program.

The sargeant finished and looked around the room. "Any questions? No? You have each recieved a copy of these rules and regulations in your training packet. I advise you to go over them carefully.

"This week, we will be doing fitness training. When you come in, change into exercise clothes and report directly to the gym. At the end of the week, you will have your first physical fitness test. While you are here, you must pass all areas of the curriculum, which includes Physical Fitness, Defensive Tactics, Criminal Laws of California,. The California Motor Vehicle Code, Driver's Education, Police Department Directives, Computer Training, Firearms Training, Report Writing, Radio Procedure, and many other subjects. Since this is a part time class, and we will break over the holidays to accomodate our college students, this class will last until the end of the school year. I will once again read your names in alphabetical order. You will line up as I call your name and we will proceed to the gym. Leave the papers you were to sign on the desk." Sargeant Carter once again called the names. Each class member lined up at the door, after leaving their papers on the desk. They followed the sargeant to the locker room, and separated into men and women groups. They were issued exercise clothes, shoes, and tote bags. They were told keeping the clothes clean would be thier responsibility. Sarah, Kianna, and Lisa managed to get lockers close to each other.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Sarah asked as they changed and reported to the gym.

"We're about to find out," Lisa said as they got into line. The next couple of hours were spent in rigorous physical training. They ran the track, did pushups, crossed the monkey bars, and did jumping jacks and various other exercises. The sargeant stood by with a stop watch.

"I will have your times posted for you tomorrow, and let you know which areas you need to work on. You are dismissed for today. Hit the showers!" The Sargent called. The group dispersed.

"Man, I am going to be sore tomorrow!" Sarah lamented. The girls hurried as they showered and changed. Sarah and Lisa made small talk and got better acquainted with Kianna.

"Hey! Let's drop our stuff off at the dorms and then go out to eat," Sarah suggested. "How did you guys get here?"

"Bus," Lisa and Kianna said and hooked pinkies.

"I'll give you both a ride," Sarah said as she led the way out of the building.

The girls admired Sarah's VW. "Nice wheels," they remarked.

"Thanks," Sarah said as they drove back to the dorms. Kianna also lived in the dorms, but on a different floor. The girls dropped their bags onto their beds, changed their clothes, and met back in the main lobby. They decided on dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, they returned to the dorm. Kianna got her books, and she joined Sarah and Lisa in their room for studying.

"Hey, how about that," Sarah said in amazement.

"How about what?" asked Lisa.

"No music tonight. Either everyone has buckled down and started studying, or their music has been confiscated."

"Is your floor pretty noisy too?" asked Kianna as she dug her books out of her bag.

"Yeah. I've been studying in the laundry room, " Sarah said as she made herself comfortable on her bed. The three girls opened their books and started to study. Sarah could feel her eyes wanting to close. It had been a busy day. She looked at her alarm clock. 8:00 pm. Too early for bed. Sarah decided to write another letter to give herself a little break. She decided she would photocopy this one to give her hand a break from writing.

Dear Everyone,

I had my first classes at the police academy today. You guys were right. It was pretty grueling. We did fitness training. I'm exhausted and I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow. My roommate Lisa is also taking classes at the police academy. We met a girl named Kianna Morgan. She lives in our dorm too. We're studying together and helping each other out. I will write more later. I'm exhausted and I have some homework to finish before I go to bed.

Love,

Sarah

Sarah finished the letter and put it in her night table drawer. She pulled her Biology book and notebook towards her and tried to finish her assignment. All of the science terms swam across the page. Sarah blinked and tried to focus. She forced herself to concentrate on the book in front of her. Exhaustion won, and she fell asleep. She flopped over on the bed. When she started to snore, Lisa and Kianna looked up and started to giggle. They threw a blanket over her and let her sleep.

"I guess that means it's bedtime," Kianna said as she put her books away.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lisa agreed.

"See you tomorrow," Kianna picked up her bag.

"Yeah, see you."

Kianna left. Lisa got ready for bed and turned out the lights.

Sarah woke up early the next morning with a start. Her clock said 5:00 am. She looked around in confusion, and realized she was still in yesterday's clothes. She looked down at the book next to her, and hoped that some of the knowledge in it had absorbed into her brain while she slept. Sarah decided to get up and get ready for the day. With any luck, she could get some more studying in before her first class. She grabbed her bathroom things and some fresh clothes, and headed for the showers.

Each day that week, Sarah and her friends reported to the police academy. The fitness training was rigorous, as promised. After they were done, they made use of the hot tub in the college weight room. Their muscles were sore for a few days, but they got used to the physical exertion. At the end of the week, all of them had passed the fitness training. The next week was Defense Tatics, in which Sarah excelled. Sargent Carter was impressed.

"Where did you learn those moves, Munroe?"

"My older sisters are former policewomen, sir. They taught me."

"They taught you well. Keep up the good work."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Sargent Carter went off to drill some of the other cadets, as Sarah and her friends continued their exercises for the day.

Each week held a new course of study. Some were easy for Sarah, and some were hard. She threw herself diligently into her work. She was pretty tired at night, and hoped it would all be worth it.

Dear Everyone:

I like the police academy magnet program, but it is so hard! I've done well in my classes the first few wees. So far, we've done fitness training and defense tactics. Nest week, we will be learning the Criminal Laws of California. That sounds like a real snoozer. Oh, well. It can't be all fun and games. I may take up coffee drinking so I can survive. I've got a big assignment due in the morning, so I need to sign off now.

Love,

Sarah.

Dear Sarah,

Don't kill yourself. If you need help with the Criminal Laws class, we're here to help you. All you have to do is call.

Love, Kris.

Dear Sarah,

I remember those days! It will all be worth it in the end. Call me when you're not too tired.


Love,

Jill

Dear Sarah,

Yes, the police academy is hard work. But eventually, you will have your PI license. Just look at it as a means to an end. We're rooting for you.

Love,

Kelly

Dear Sarah,

The police academy days are some of my fondest memories, as that's where I met my best friends. Yeah, the work is hard, but keep your eye on your goal. I'll help you if I can. Call me if you get a chance.


Love,

Sabrina

Sarah read over the letters with fondness for her sisters and their friends. Their encouragement helped her to lift her spirits, and she was able to tackle her classes. There was a week long break scheduled a couple of months down the road, and she eagerly looked forward to it.

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