CHESAPEAKE
Thirty-four of the 37 recruits who joined Chesapeake's police academy six months ago were set to receive their badges Monday night, marking one of the most successful classes in recent memory, police say.
The newest officers will fill gaps in a department that an independent review described as understaffed. The class also marks a change in the way the academy is run.
"In the past, it's been a little bit on the militaristic side. It was kind of like boot camp," said police Capt. E.D. Woods. "We moved away from the drill sergeant mentality and into the coaching mentality. They are coaching these recruits to help them learn about how to become a police officer, instead of recruits feeling like the instructors are the adversaries."
Each trainee also worked with a veteran officer who acted as a mentor. Academic standards didn't change, Woods said.
Chesapeake's previous class of recruits began with 26 - 16 of whom finished. More than half of another class failed to finish, Woods said.
The review of the Police Department, released earlier this month, addressed the high turnover, urging the city to reduce "the enormous amount of premature police... trainee attrition."
Jason Abend, executive director of The National Law Enforcement Recruiters Association in Arlington, said structural changes in academies are unusual.
"Virginia is very traditional. Most are run in the paramilitary vein," he said.
Still, "there's no reason to try to run them into the ground... they're doing all the right things," Abend said.
Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5208, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com
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Big suprise
The standards are lower. Duh!
Media, follow up on these new recruits.
What I hope the media does now is report over the next months/year just how many of these new recruits that are trained in the "Kinder gentler" mindset resign/quit once they get a taste of the reality/dangers of police work on the street and dealing with the criminal element that find's weakness in a kinder gentler officer. I believe without the paramilitary training an orginazation such as Law enforcement will loose it's ability to function as a unit, because the new individuals in it will never truly understand what it means, "that the unit is only as strong as it's weakest link" until it's too late. Lowering standards, making things easier, graduating more bodies, does not make for a stronger, smarter dept in my opinion. I will admit that now that this seems to be the new theory in Law Enforcement only time will tell where it will end up. A good part of this job will put you in life or death situations. If you want to be coddled and not have your feeling's hurt, go to college. It's up to the media to follow up on this story and provide the readers with these statistics.
Congratulations to all the new officers
You have worked hard to get where you are now. Keep up that work ethic and you will undoubtedly succeed.