I quit the academy, and i want to go back again.

[socalp71]

Hello everyone,

I just started a academy in the San Diego area and yesterday i was told to leave b/c i didn't disclose a back injury from a accident involving skiing. I started off on the wrong foot in the academy and became the focus of attention for the training officers. I was getting smoked almost left and right, being taken out of formation and told to do push ups and ' butterfly kicks' they made do them in puddles of water and i was sugar coated in sand. They would routinely pull me out of formation from marching drill and do it to me, until they tried to get me to break. I was about 20 mins from the end of the day and i did just completed a assessment test with push ups and sits ups and a 1.5 mile run. Then we were placed back in formation and told to do squats when i went down to do them, i felt a sharp pain in my neck and upper back. And the training instructor called me out and asked me what my issue was. Then i told him about my incident, and he was upset and livid. Then he talked to me in a clam voice and told me to go talk to the Academy SGT. And get my stuff and leave. I'm not sure if it was a direct order to leave or a optional one. I felt like it was a mental mind manipulation in a sense that they took advantage of me when i was weak. So i went to the class room to grab my patrol bag, and went to the top of my stairs and saw them running back to the formation assembly area. They were returning from the assessment testing area. And i was stood on top of the stairs, i thought to myself" Why did i make that choice to give up, almost at the end of the time?" So i waited for my fellow recruits in the locker room, and told them what happened. Couple said i'd gave into the mental mind games. Needless to say i feel highly disappointed in myself. I was told to come back to the next academy in 3 months after i get some physical training.

I also went back down to the Staff Office and i spoke to the TO's about wanting to come back the next day. They said it was too late. I even thought about showing up in my uniform in formation the following morning, to show them how determined i was. Couple people said it was a balsy and risky move. Others recommended against it.

I was wondering if anybody could give me some sound knowledge or advice on mental toughness, and how to get through all the smoking? I was told by the TO's that i have alot of " heart and determination"

[manahmanah]

If you had a lot of "heart and determination" you would not have quit. There is more to this than you are telling us too by the way.

[socalp71]

I had issues getting the facing movments down, hence the constant smoking.. I didn't want to quit i just took what they said as an order to leave.

[manahmanah]

If you had a lot of "heart and determination" you would not have quit. There is more to this than you are telling us too by the way.

[Citicop]

I quit the Academy...


I just started a academy in the San Diego area and yesterday i was told to leave b/c i didn't disclose a back injury from a accident involving skiing.

These two things seem contradictory to me. Did you quit, or were you removed for not disclosing a previous injury when you applied?

-Citicop.

[socalp71]

The TO told me to qoute on qoute" Be realstic, you have an injury do you think you can honestly finish this for the 6 next months? Go talk to the academy Sgt about getting your stuff and going home"

[ChesCopPodz]

Mind game. You quit based on the above comment.

[Ispbear]

So you used the back injury as an excuse for poor performance and they called you out on it. At that point you had the option to either quit or to man up to your excuse and get "smoked" again and you chose to quit. The point for the stress applied in an academy is to find those who can't perform and learn to adapt under stress and weed them out. I don't want someone beside me in a gun fight who is going to lock up because of they can't handle the stress.

[socalp71]

I'm willing to take any advice on how to prepare myself, short of sassay remarks. Just let me know what i can do to try to better myself for the next academy, i sincerly do want this. And i was wondering if theirs any books you Officers/members would suggest so i can prepare myself. And i will try to work on my injury so its not such an issue like last time.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

I'm willing to take any advice on how to prepare myself, short of sassay remarks. Just let me know what i can do to try to better myself for the next academy, i sincerly do want this. And i was wondering if theirs any books you Officers/members would suggest so i can prepare myself. And i will try to work on my injury so its not such an issue like last time.

1. Don't lie.

2. Get yourself a 'can of man' along with a straw and suck it up.

3. If you can't do 1 & 2, find another career field.

You don't get to dictate the kind of responses you get, here. Especially when you got yourself into the academy and gave up. Thousands of people would love to have the opportunity you just threw away. Your last post is indicative of your lack of gumption to do what needs to be done so you ensure a successful academy experience.

[socalp71]

I understand that fully, i know i seem like a drop out/wash out. But if you met me in person your preception would change. I really do want to be a Law Enforcement Officer. This time around i will do whatever it takes.

[Citicop]

I'm willing to take any advice on how to prepare myself, short of sassay remarks. Just let me know what i can do to try to better myself for the next academy, i sincerly do want this. And i was wondering if theirs any books you Officers/members would suggest so i can prepare myself. And i will try to work on my injury so its not such an issue like last time.

A book's not going to help with the issue that you had/have. And the injury is not the issue here.

You want to be a cop. Whether I live or die may someday depend on whether you fight through pain, fatigue, blood, and fear, or whether you decide "this is too hard" and quit.

On the street quitting can mean death, yours or someone else's. The stick-to-it-iveness is either something you have or you don't. You can't learn it.

Your decision to quit may be an experience that you could learn from, or it may be indicative of a lack of heart or perseverance. Only time and more testing will tell. Either way, be prepared to fight an uphill battle to get back in to the Academy; it would be hard to convince me to let you back into the Academy in the near future if it were up to me.

And if you can't handle sassy remarks, find a new career.

-Citicop.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

I understand that fully, i know i seem like a drop out/wash out. But if you met me in person your preception would change.

Not too sure about that...

I really do want to be a Law Enforcement Officer.

It doesn't matter what you want or what you really want. The fact remains that you had what many look at as a 'golden opportunity' and you threw it away.

This time around i will do whatever it takes.

Too late. You were self-sponsored, no? Why on God's green earth would any agency want to now spend their time and money on your second attempt??

Depending upon their rules, the academy MAY let you come in again, assuming you pay your own way - again. Hell, money's money, right? But why would they want to waste their time with you, for round 2?

[retdetsgt]

I started off on the wrong foot in the academy and became the focus of attention for the training officers. I was getting smoked almost left and right, being taken out of formation and told to do push ups and ' butterfly kicks' they made do them in puddles of water and i was sugar coated in sand. They would routinely pull me out of formation from marching drill and do it to me, until they tried to get me to break.

Explain what you did to "get off on the wrong foot".

I suspect the training officers were indeed trying to get rid of you, the question is why? I had guys like that in Army basic and one in OCS and there were good reasons to get them out.

[socalp71]

I had a hard time with facing movments as i mentioend earlier, i wasn't terribly bad. I just seemed like i was a step behind persay. I was self sponsered the first time around, and the second i will be aswell. I did everything in terms of physical training, running up mountians with a elevation difference of 1,800 ft straight to the top. And running at least 3 miles every other day, and weight lifting. But as far as mental preperation i was a little timid and nervous. I've been in critical situations where i've held somebody at gun point before, and i didn't ' freeze up' i worked at a DOD facility as guard. I made the right choices and didn't discharge my firearm at the wrong moment,nor did i injure anybody. I don't know where i went wrong with the academy, other than i was overwheelmed. Like i said, i would like some sound advice on how to better prepare myself for the second time around.