Week Three - Recruit Sebastian

Week 3 started with all of us in our black long sleeve polo shirts and BDU pants. We all looked extremely sharp even though our attention to detail was once more put to the test when we had some issues during roll call. A misplaced ID and a forgotten black undershirt earned us some air squats to begin the day. A few tips about the uniforms; the polo shirt has to be wrinkle free, the recruit badge needs to be ironed, and the pants need to have a nice firm crease. While we thought the uniforms would be easier to take care of, an all black uniform has the nasty habit of showing every single flaw. Keeping your uniform clean is very important. Once you get out on the street, you do not want to look like a slob when you show up for a call and the instructors have an easy way of teaching you to take on that responsibility (need I say more?). Additionally, for the first time we had to recite our class motto, ‘Strength in Unity’ which won by a landslide vote the week prior.

Aside from being quizzed about the prior days or weeks material during the morning inspection, the material presented in class has become increasingly more difficult. This program is certainly not for the weak hearted. You have to be mentally and physically strong every day and cannot take a day off, including weekends if you want to succeed. Cleaning uniforms and shining boots over the weekend is just as important as studying the prior and sometimes upcoming week’s material.

The week continued with more Criminal Code with some Electives thrown in to change it up. Just when we thought we were safe and able to answer almost every question during morning line-up, Sergeant Koester graciously decided to change it up and ask us about Geography. From the answers, or lack thereof, it was quite obvious that none of the recruits were able to memorize the hundreds of street names in Jefferson County (and surrounding areas) and their assigned numerical value. A little hint, if you can start studying now, do so. That way, you will not end up in the same situation as us. To end this week, I will leave you with a saying from Agent Ruybal; “Even if you do not know the answer, pretend you do. There is nothing worse than being asked a question by a citizen and not knowing the answer”.