Wednesday, December 12, 2007
"Fabi-Babi"
Joan Fabian is an artist. She’s not an artist just because she paints or constructs sculptures, but because she’s passionate about everything she does. We are all artists whether we paint, sing, dance, take pictures, or just stand there and speak our minds. Joan is truly passionate about life and where she lives and what she’s doing. Joan taught in Pakistan for six months and saw a different way of art because people thought differently. She saw what they saw and learned to think differently to see things in another light. She told us a story of an old man and a child. Joan was driving through Pakistan when she thought she saw and old man sitting on the street with his grandson, or a young boy. She felt for them because she could tell just at a glance that they were tired and not very well off. As she drove by a second time she was looking for them so that she could really get a chance to see who they were because she felt such a connection with them just at a glance. As she looked for an elderly man and a young boy she noticed that it was not humans at all, but that it was two animals sitting on the side of the road that looked as if they had worked all day. By listening to all that Joan had to say, I completely felt more spiritually connected with who I was and my purpose. Joan Fabian isn’t just an artist, but a human full of artistic ability.
Friday, December 7, 2007
"Welcome to the Police Academy"...."You Now Have the Right to Remain Silent!"
In San Antonio there are a plethora of jobs that can be obtained by “on the job” training. One of those is becoming a police officer. In San Antonio we have the San Antonio Police Training Academy which trains cadets on how to become the best police officers, learn the laws and how to keep the community involved, and how to enforce those laws. Known to many as the “police academy”, this facility was built in 1987 and was completely finished in 1988. The training academy is located at 12200 SE Loop 410 between Morsund and Roosevelt on a One hundred-sixty five acre site. According to the training academy’s website seventy acres of the land is still undeveloped, but is designated for a wildlife sanctuary to be later constructed. The maintained acres of the academy are currently being used for the Academy’s main building that is approximately 54,000 square feet which consists of classrooms, offices, library, computer center, video center, restrooms, and a cafeteria. Other parts of the maintained ninety five acres are a driving track, tactical village for physical job training, a physical fitness area which includes a gym, a swimming pool, a weight room, and a boxing arena. The final part of the up kept acres is a shooting range which is approximately 27,000 square feet that consist of a large classroom, offices, an armory room, and six covered firing ranges with electronic and mechanical target control.
The staff of the San Antonio Police Training Academy is the backbone of the training. All of the staff members are formally or currently in law enforcement and have been through the training themselves at one point in their career. Head of all the professional staff is Captain Larry Birney who leads the staff instructors which include detectives, patrol officers, instructors from local college facilities, local and state police agencies, and many from specialized units of SAPD, or San Antonio Police Department. My father is an instructor at this facility and has been for over 14 years. He teaches many different components that are required for the cadets to become certified. Most of what he teaches consists of search and seizure, use of force, and scenarios which are realistic examples of what might happen when the cadets become police officers. When I interviewed my father, Assistant Chief of Police for Pleasanton Police Department John Eric Rutherford, I learned some very new tings about the academy. “We as a whole make sure that our cadets engulf every bit of what we teach them, because if they don’t learn then we’re not teaching”, stated Rutherford. When asked about how close the instructors become with their cadets the answer was “we become a family; a family of brothers and sisters who take an oath to be there for each other through anything physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve seen my kids (cadets) shed many tears through frustration, pain, and sorrow. That’s what it takes to be a good instructor, the understanding of your cadets inside and out. They’re not just a name to be called, they’re a person to be understood and respected.” Although Rutherford instructs most hands-on classes, he added in his interview that ninety percent of police work is paperwork. “Police training may sound like fun because it’s like a grown up way of playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians, but it’s more mentally intense than it is physically. These guys (and girls) go through grueling hours of filing paperwork, learning the art of writing reports and taking statements from witnesses; it’s not easy, and it’s not meant to be. We want them to be ready.”
Many “rookie” officers find it easy to make the transition from civilian to officer after going through the training at the academy. Probationary police officer Gregory Contreras revealed to me what he had to go through in the academy six months ago. “I was a marine before I joined the academy, and lucky for me I was in shape and had an idea of what was possible to happen. The process was exhausting, but with the help of all my instructors and fellow cadets, I made it through the classes and physical testing that needed to be completed. If I hadn’t gone through the training at the facility, I would never have been ready for my career as an officer.” “Before I was accepted into the academy I had to apply and then take and place high on the Civil Service Exam and was chosen as a select few to attend the training academy. Each cadet must complete around 560 hours, or six months of the training to be considered for graduation.” Officer Contreras is now being considered to help teach a class at the San Antonio Police Training Academy next spring after his probation period is completed with SAPD.
At the San Antonio Police Training Academy, all cadets must come to class in uniform and, although they are not yet police officers, they must carry a “fake” gun which is painted blue to tell the difference between a real and fake gun. The gun actually weighs what a real gun does so that they get the full effect.
As a child I was able to experience many things that happened at the police academy. On a daily basis the cadets must perform a plethora of physical and mental activities to keep them in their prime shape. At the beginning of the day they must run a 2 mile course together as a unit and must not walk, nor leave anyone behind. They must complete this 2 mile course in 20 minutes. After the run the cadets go to class, depending on which level they are in, and are in class until lunch time. After lunch time there is a 1-2 hour free space in which most cadets either study or catch up on their physical fitness. After their free time, the cadets come back for more class. At the end of the day the cadets jog for a mile and a half in 16 minutes. After the final jog the class comes together with their instuctor and have a closing lecture.
My purpose for researching the police academy and reason for choosing this topic is because I will be attending the academy when I graduate from college in the Fall of 2009. I have researched this academy many times and my knowledge for it is well researched and I have asked many questions to provide the truth. I plan to go through the training to become a police officer so that one day I will be able to fulfill my dream of becoming a Homicide Detective for SAPD. The police academy’s training website was very helpful, along with Asst. Chief Rutherford and Officer Contreras and their interviews. Just because they carry a gun and a badge doesn’t mean that they are any less human than the next, so take a minute to thank our armed forces of San Antonio because they’re all working to protect us.
Word Count 1,172
The staff of the San Antonio Police Training Academy is the backbone of the training. All of the staff members are formally or currently in law enforcement and have been through the training themselves at one point in their career. Head of all the professional staff is Captain Larry Birney who leads the staff instructors which include detectives, patrol officers, instructors from local college facilities, local and state police agencies, and many from specialized units of SAPD, or San Antonio Police Department. My father is an instructor at this facility and has been for over 14 years. He teaches many different components that are required for the cadets to become certified. Most of what he teaches consists of search and seizure, use of force, and scenarios which are realistic examples of what might happen when the cadets become police officers. When I interviewed my father, Assistant Chief of Police for Pleasanton Police Department John Eric Rutherford, I learned some very new tings about the academy. “We as a whole make sure that our cadets engulf every bit of what we teach them, because if they don’t learn then we’re not teaching”, stated Rutherford. When asked about how close the instructors become with their cadets the answer was “we become a family; a family of brothers and sisters who take an oath to be there for each other through anything physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve seen my kids (cadets) shed many tears through frustration, pain, and sorrow. That’s what it takes to be a good instructor, the understanding of your cadets inside and out. They’re not just a name to be called, they’re a person to be understood and respected.” Although Rutherford instructs most hands-on classes, he added in his interview that ninety percent of police work is paperwork. “Police training may sound like fun because it’s like a grown up way of playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians, but it’s more mentally intense than it is physically. These guys (and girls) go through grueling hours of filing paperwork, learning the art of writing reports and taking statements from witnesses; it’s not easy, and it’s not meant to be. We want them to be ready.”
Many “rookie” officers find it easy to make the transition from civilian to officer after going through the training at the academy. Probationary police officer Gregory Contreras revealed to me what he had to go through in the academy six months ago. “I was a marine before I joined the academy, and lucky for me I was in shape and had an idea of what was possible to happen. The process was exhausting, but with the help of all my instructors and fellow cadets, I made it through the classes and physical testing that needed to be completed. If I hadn’t gone through the training at the facility, I would never have been ready for my career as an officer.” “Before I was accepted into the academy I had to apply and then take and place high on the Civil Service Exam and was chosen as a select few to attend the training academy. Each cadet must complete around 560 hours, or six months of the training to be considered for graduation.” Officer Contreras is now being considered to help teach a class at the San Antonio Police Training Academy next spring after his probation period is completed with SAPD.
At the San Antonio Police Training Academy, all cadets must come to class in uniform and, although they are not yet police officers, they must carry a “fake” gun which is painted blue to tell the difference between a real and fake gun. The gun actually weighs what a real gun does so that they get the full effect.
As a child I was able to experience many things that happened at the police academy. On a daily basis the cadets must perform a plethora of physical and mental activities to keep them in their prime shape. At the beginning of the day they must run a 2 mile course together as a unit and must not walk, nor leave anyone behind. They must complete this 2 mile course in 20 minutes. After the run the cadets go to class, depending on which level they are in, and are in class until lunch time. After lunch time there is a 1-2 hour free space in which most cadets either study or catch up on their physical fitness. After their free time, the cadets come back for more class. At the end of the day the cadets jog for a mile and a half in 16 minutes. After the final jog the class comes together with their instuctor and have a closing lecture.
My purpose for researching the police academy and reason for choosing this topic is because I will be attending the academy when I graduate from college in the Fall of 2009. I have researched this academy many times and my knowledge for it is well researched and I have asked many questions to provide the truth. I plan to go through the training to become a police officer so that one day I will be able to fulfill my dream of becoming a Homicide Detective for SAPD. The police academy’s training website was very helpful, along with Asst. Chief Rutherford and Officer Contreras and their interviews. Just because they carry a gun and a badge doesn’t mean that they are any less human than the next, so take a minute to thank our armed forces of San Antonio because they’re all working to protect us.
Word Count 1,172
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