ga police academy

[galeo]

i am going to the forsyth, ga police academy in august and i would like to know if anyone on here has went or know what it is like and what i should be expecting.

[galeo]

Any Information In General Will Be Helpful.

[tbird412]

I take it you are refering to GPSTC? Man I hate that place. Had to go there for EVOC a few weeks ago. The barracks are horrid. Food ain't too bad. The lines for it suck. The facilities are nice (as in the main building, and all the things to do there).

[galeo]

have you had any pt yet, if so what was it like

[tbird412]

Oh I didn't go to GPSTC as my academy. I went to NEGA. GPSTC is the training center hub for the entire state. Any specialized training you need (hence why I was there for EVOC) for everything from firemen, to jailers, to officers getting advanced training. GPSTC is the home of the state patrol. And they are extremely para-military. They were marching cadences outside my barracks at like 11pm. Really aggravating.

I can't comment on going to the academy there. But if it is anything like everyone else training there (as a class, not officers there for specialized training) then it is extremely para-military. Hell even during lunch they had to march in perfect formation to get their food. And they did tons of PT.

I was told by one of the instructors there, that by 2009 they are trying to have all the academies held there (in other words no more regional academies) and have them be 16 weeks long. That would suck.

[11b101abn]

I have been there dozens of times. It can get old but the training is great. the facility is not cushy, it is in a barracks format. if you are the type that needs your 'space", you will not like it.

Personally, I have a really good time while I am there. the instructors are really good, (esp W. Marchant, the god of fourth amendment/search and seizure issues). In other words, it will be what you allow it to be.

I have rubbed elbows with some really outstanding officers and deputies while there and have made some really useful contacts as well.

Enjoy it. It will be a permenent fixture in your career anyway.

[brownj21]

galeo-what agency are you joining?
I have been there plenty, but the whole experience (what you actually do) depends on your job (they train correction officers, fire fighters, probation officer, parole officers, GBI, DNR, state troopers and cops there).

[galeo]

i will be joining the macon police dept.

[dcp48]

take a pillow and portable tv or dvd player..

[miked6]

i will be joining the macon police dept.

Wow, we have two guys that just left there. Let me summarize...low pay, old equipment, low moral, busy, busy, busy.

[luv2Bblu]

Wow, we have two guys that just left there. Let me summarize...low pay, old equipment, low moral, busy, busy, busy.

wow miked6...i had to read your post twice b/c i thought you were describing Atlanta PD!...

[Motordawg]

galeo,

Good luck. I know the 'unknowing' of the Academy bothers you, but trust your instructors. They have been through this before.

Your success is based solely on you.

Everyone experiences something different in their basic training. All in all, you will enjoy it and at times hate it, but you will remember it all through your career.

You will take out of the Academy, what you put into it. Remember to give encouragement to others, and seek it when you need it, and you will need encouragement at some point..everyone does.

I started in this profession on February 21, 1973. I have hated and loved every day since then. I've been to funerals, weddings, births, been through divorces, squabbles, hard times of my partners, friends, team mates. They were there for me, and I was there for them. That's the way it is.

Remember the difference between "dog mentality" and "cat mentality". You can be loyal to your 'pack' only to a point. It does NO good to come home to your loved ones and tell them you were loyal to your pack, you're fired, but you were 'loyal'. There is a difference. Know where that line is.

Go with the program, allow yourself to learn. You will make mistakes and you will learn from those mistakes. You will want to stop all the crime you come across when you do finally graduate. You can't. Leave your work AT work, and remember there MUST be family time away from the job for you to succeed in this profession.

Once you do graduate, you will be judged differently from that point on. You must accept and understand that. You are not just an average citizen who happens to be a cop. You will be judge harsher and have expectations to be "above" the norm, while still being human. It can be hard at times.

[galeo]

Thanks For The Info

[nycn8tive]

Amen to that....Im with NYPD and that is very true.