INSTITUTE — Future police authorities are learning the heat in the western world Virginia Condition Police Academy in Institute.

Captain David Lee, director of training within the academy mentioned the job from the police officer is intense, and so the program within the academy can be as well.

Sometimes cadets suffer a warmth-related illness. Instructors take plenty of breaks and cadets avoid lack of fluids.

However, if conditions get too hot, outdoors training is either suspended or moved inside.

“We discuss the heat. We discuss after they leave training you have to avoid dehydration as well as to understand conditions. We inform them to comprehend if you’re planning in to a situation that you may be uncovered for the warmth for extended intervals to make sure you’re taking plenty of fluids,” mentioned Lee.

Lee mentioned there’s a rn within the academy throughout training to handle a quantity of injuries including warmth-related ones.

They packed the Fire Training Center’s auditorium , congratulating graduates with cheers and applause as each took a certificate of graduation.

With Director Hugh Lennon doing the introductions, the police academy class graduated 16 police officers, including four for the Rockland Sheriff’s Department and, for the first time, graduates for Amtrak police.

Four people graduated as part of the Rockland Community College pre-employment program. If they get hired as officers, they would only be required to take defensive tactics and firearm training.

Sheriff’s Chief Louis Falco gave the graduates and audience an overview of policing, from crime scenes to patrols and terrorism on the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“With an ever-changing world, we as first responders become the first line of defense in our villages, towns, counties and states and cannot afford to become complacent,” Falco said.

He told the audience that families sometimes take second place as law enforcement “is one of the most demanding and self-sacrificing professions in our society.”

Falco said there are many traits the graduates can’t be taught.

“This police academy and its staff has taught you a lot, but they can’t teach you integrity, good judgment, honor or how to be compassionate,” Falco said.

“Treat everyone the way you or one of your family members would want to be treated if the situation was reversed,” Falco said. “In our profession, you must give respect if you want to get respect.”

Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe also provided some insight into law enforcement from what he’s observed over more than three decades. He said being a police officer is not for the faint of heart and requires courage.

He noted first responders rush into danger to save lives while people are running for safety.

With competing police academies in the region, Friday marked the first graduation in Rockland this year. The academy usually has two graduating classes. It has been accepting students who take the 24-week course through Rockland Community College. The cost is about $3,000.

“If we showed up late—even by a minute—we had to do extra repetitions of push-ups and sit-ups,” said Allyson White, a 2011 participant in the Westchester Youth Police Academy. “And if you forgot your hat or belt or you didn’t shave, it was the same thing.”

High school seniors from 11 schools in Westchester—including Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry—participated in the senior internship program in which students get a six-week crash course in becoming police officers. This year, Dobbs Fery had a record eight students enroll.

“I get bored very quickly, so I wanted to do something where I’d be entertained,” said White, who has always wanted to be a lawyer. “It ended up being awesome.”

Dobbs Ferry Police’s Justin Kamke is one of the officers who oversees the program. “We started off by giving the students a fitness test. By the end of the six weeks, we saw 40 percent improvement,” he said.

Students started their days running three miles and doing grueling repetitions of strengthening exercises. The were then given 20 minutes to shower and change before inspection. The teenagers were grouped into squads, and any errors in one member’s appearance would result in group punishment for the entire squad.

Next, students attended lectures in which they learned about various aspects of the criminal justice system. And in the afternoons, they went out in the field.

“We sat in on a murder trial one day,” White said. “That was cool.”

Students also spent an afternoon at Sing Sing prison in Ossining.

“The prison was nothing like how it seems on TV,” said Justin Kennedy. “We actually spent time with some prisoners and had lunch with them. Sloppy Joes…the food was terrible.”

“Prisoners have a lot less freedom than I’d thought,” White added. “And it was so hot in there.”

Another day, students went to the actual Westchester Police Academy in Valhalla to use their Fire Arm Training Simulator (FATS). “It’s like a large Nintendo Wii,” Kamke explained. “Students use verbal commands and actions they’ve learned to either increase or decrease the severity of a situation.”

During the last week of their internships, youth police academy students went on ride-alongs with officers.

“We were sitting in the car when they pulled people over,” said Casey Sussman.

Kennedy “saw a car pursued in Pleasantville.”

The students even helped out at Northern Westchester Hospital posing as the victims during a training session.

“I was pushed to my limit by the physical training,” Sussman said. “And I gained a lot of respect for police officers from this experience.”

“I learned that cops always have to watch their backs—be careful about everything they do,” White added.

Kennedy chimed in: “The amount of paperwork they have to do is ridiculous.”

Kamke said this year 75 percent of students in the program indicated they wanted to pursue careers in the criminal justice system. Since the program is only three yeas old, he couldn’t say whether previous years’ graduates had gone on to become police officers.

“It’s a great program because they see the entire spectrum of the criminal justice system,” Kamke said.

All eight students from Dobbs Ferry who enrolled in the program graduated last week in a ceremony at Mercy College.

“It was sad,” White said. “We all became such good friends.”

Overall, the students said they gained much deeper insights into the role police officers play in the community.

“I learned that most cops are actually nice people who are not out to get you,” Sussman said. “Everything they do is about safety.”

Dobbs Ferry’s eight graduates of the 2011 Westchester Youth Police Academy were: Allyson White, Eddie Fanning, Justin Kennedy, Stephen Betz, David Ramos, Nathan Falk, Casey Sussman and Mike Marron.

The class starts Sept. 28 and run 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesdays through Dec. 7. There will be no class Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

During the academy, participants learn about many aspects of police department duties. Besides classroom lecture, the academy includes a patrol ride along, firearms training, mock traffic stops and room searches.

Schaumburg residents or business community members may apply. For an application, visit www.villageofschaumburg.com. For information, call 847-348-7276.

The academy will be July 25 through July 29 at the Alabama Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 4 in Weaver.

Twenty-seven teenagers from high schools across the county have signed up to participate in the program, which offers a glimpse into the kinds of physical, legal and technological training a person must have before becoming a police officer.

“We’ll be taking our 12-week training course that our rookies go through, and we’re shoving it down to a week,” said Officer Donny Smith, the training coordinator for the Police Department and the man in charge of the July youth academy. “This will be geared for students who are interested in some aspect of law enforcement. It helps guide the ones who think they are interested in this type of job.”

It’s not the first time the Police Department has sponsored this type of academy. In 2003, Lt. Wayne Willis, then a school resource officer for Anniston High School, hosted the first program and was pleased with its outcome.

Of the 24 students who participated, 16 went on to take jobs in law enforcement, officials said.

“It was very successful; it was very positive,” Willis said.

But Chief Layton McGrady said officials had to discontinue the program after its first year, because the department was unable to keep a full staff of 92 sworn officers.

That is, until now. This year, the department has been able to keep within one or two positions of being fully staffed, and that has opened up the opportunity to host the second youth academy – something police hope will also act as a recruiting opportunity for the department.

“Now, we’ve got enough manpower to put the class on, and we’re always looking to recruit,” McGrady said.

Smith said the academy schedule he created is based on the hands-on approach that Willis took eight years ago. Students will arrive at the FOP Lodge at 9 a.m. each day for 30 minutes of “PT” or physical training, and then spend each day going over a different aspect of police work. On the first day of class, the teenagers will listen to an EMT discuss how to administer first aid and will become CPR certified, Smith said. Other days will feature instruction on how to make traffic stops on suspicious or speeding vehicles, how to respond to domestic violence calls and what kind of rights criminal suspects are guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

The last day will be the most exciting, Smith said.

That’s when students will don Special Response Team gear and participate in a mock drug raid.

“It will be very hands-on,” said Smith, also a member of the department’s SRT team.

In the weeks leading up to the academy, Smith will be going around to area businesses to ask for donations to help fund the week-long class. The academy is free to those students who’ve signed up to participate; donations from area businesses such as Solutia and police organizations like the FOP are covering the $3,000 course cost.

Officials expect the academy to be just as successful as the first one eight years ago; all of the spots for the July course are already filled.

“I’m glad we’re able to get it back,” Willis said.

Contact Star Staff Writer Cameron Steele at 256-235-3562.

Read more: Anniston Star – Anniston police to restart youth police academy

Police spokeswoman Cpl. Misti Mohrenne said Monday the department wants to teach residents “why we do what we do and how we do it.”

Many people have expressed interest in learning about the actions of the Eustis Police Department, spurring the class, Mohrenne said.

“For some, it’s because they don’t like the way we do things; some just want to learn,” she said. “It’s a very basic overview of what we learn at the (police) academy.”

The academy should not be confused with Citizens on Patrol. People who take the class will not have arrest power, Mohrenne said.

This inaugural academy will be limited to 15 students. Once the class is filled, the remaining applications will be retained for the 2012 academy.

Classes will be held on 10 consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Eustis City Hall in the city commission meeting room.

The academy curriculum will include instruction on department overview and chain of command, investigations, use of force, traffic enforcement, firearm basics, crime scene investigations and dealing with mentally ill citizens, among other topics.

Applicants must agree to a background investigation, with the understanding that the police department reserves the right to approve or deny applications based on the result of the background check.

Participants in the academy will be required to sign a waiver and will be eligible to ride along with a patrol officer.

The department will accept up to 50 applications through June 24.

To apply, visit www.eustis.org/departments/inpdacademy.htm.

The Youth Police Academy is a 10-day summer program for youths between the ages of 12 and 16. The hands-on program will introduce participants to all aspects of law enforcement.

Guest speakers will include members of the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New Jersey State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The program will offer training every afternoon during which time the academy participants will experience demonstrations and also be able to put into practice what they have learned through different handson exercises.

Participants will experience military etiquette, drill and ceremony, handcuffing techniques, police K-9 interaction, basic criminal investigation, police baton training, as well as first aid and fire safety.

The program will begin on July 18 and culminate with a graduation ceremony on July 29.

An application can be obtained by logging on to www.fbpd.net or by stopping in at the Freehold Borough Police Department at 36 Jackson St.

The application deadline is June 15 and class size is limited. The program is open to all youths; however, Freehold Borough residents will be given priority.

According to a press release from the police department, the Freehold Borough Youth PoliceAcademy is being run with the full support and backing of Mayor Michael Wilson, the Borough Council members and Freehold Borough police Capt. Glenn Roberts, who is serving the police department as Officer in Charge.

Coordinating the academy program is Patrolman Keith Bailey, a 21-year veteran of the police department. Assisting Bailey with the program are Sgt. Andrew DeMuth, Sgt. Ronnie Steppat and Patrolman Sean Healey.

There is no cost to youths to attend the Youth Police Academy.

Twice a week for about nine weeks, the students learned about firearms, crime scene investigation, first aid and more. Lilburn resident Todd Burnette said his favorite part of the academy was learning how to drive like cops do. “Well, I’m pretty much of a racing fan,” Burnette said with a laugh, “this learning how to drive safely was something that was pretty interesting. Seeing how they do it, how they train for it. So that was pretty fun to see, fun to be a part of.”

This class consisted of people from all backgrounds. From chefs to county workers– from retirees to registered nurses, like sisters Cindiella and Nancy Nixon from Peachtree Corners. Nurse Cindiella said she gained a new found respect for those who wear the badge after going through the training, and discovered that being a cop is a lot different than her regular job. “Oh! It’s a lot scarier, a lot more stress. There’s no comparison,” she said.

Both sisters said overall, they enjoyed their experience. “We wanted to learn more about the community and how the police worked. And we had a wonderful time,” said Nancy with Cindiella nodding in agreement.

Burnette and the Nixon sisters’ experiences are exactly why GCPD offers this program, according to Chief Charles Walters. “We can’t be successful without support from the community. And this is a way to get people inside the police departments, see what their police departments do every day,” said Walters.

The Chief hopes these graduates will become ambassadors for the GCPD. “This is about us making friends, seeing how things really work, as opposed to what they read in the newspaper or what they see on television… We want them to see what it’s really like and hopefully become big supporters of the police department.”

Those interested can pick up an application at the Pompton Lakes Police Department, 25 Lenox Ave., Pompton Lakes. The Junior Police Academy is a week-long program being held July 11-15 at the Lenox School in Pompton Lakes. There is a $25 enrollment fee. Questions can be referred to School Resource Officer/Detective Jessica Ribitzki at 973-835-0400 or Sgt. James MacIntosh, Riverdale Police Department, at 973-835-0034.

Now’s your chance to find out.

The Holbrook Police Department will hold its first-ever Citizens Police Academy beginning Aug. 3 and running for six weeks at the police station.

Participants will receive classroom instruction similar to what police experience, followed by role-playing involving different scenarios that police experience on the job.

“The goal is to improve our relationship with the community and show people why police behave the way they do,” said Officer Thomas Gainey.

It’s the first such academy offered by the Holbrook department. Gainey said he is hoping for about 20 participants. Holbrook residents will be given priority, but people from other towns are invited to attend.

More information can be found the Police Department’s website, www.holbrookpolice.com/CPA.htm.

Gainey and Sgt. Mark Shanly will be the instructors.

Gainey noted that residents can also follow the Police Department on Facebook and Twitter. Links to both can be found on the police website.

Vicki-Ann Downing may be reached at vdowning@enterprisenews.com.