One Team

 My name is Recruit Cook with the Lakewood Police Department. I was born in West Texas and lived there for 10 years before moving to the peaceful city of Lincoln, Nebraska. After completing high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I struggled with fitting in at times. I really had no interests or hobbies to guide me with the next chapter of my journey.

Eventually, I settled on joining the Army. This decision was extremely tough to make. My mother, like all good mothers, was very reluctant about wanting me to join. I was also on the fence about joining. I didn’t know if I really felt a “calling” or if I had just played to many video games. During my service, I was fortunate enough to be stationed in the beautiful state of Hawaii for 3 years. I was an infantryman and got out  at the rank of Sergeant. My service provided me with confidence and finally some direction that I desperately needed. During that time, I learned the traits of responsibility, integrity, leadership, looking at the details and ultimately how to be a team player. Little did I know, the lessons I learned then I would apply every single day of my life.

The decision to join the Lakewood Police Department was actually one of the easier I have had to make. I knew a few of the agents who already worked for the department, and they always had amazing things to say about LPD and the city itself. They spoke very highly of the culture that surrounded the department. I knew that was something I wanted to be part of.

I really wasn’t sure what to think when Day One of the academy finally rolled around. I was anxious and excited at the same time. I had worked so hard throughout the hiring process, only to realize that the real work was about to begin. I had so many questions that it was hard to fall asleep at night because I wanted the answers immediately. Being a police officer is all about team work and earning the trust of your peers and your community. While I wanted to have this cemented on the first day, I knew that it was going to be process .

Fast forward now to Week 8 of the police academy. Every one of my peers has their own strengths and challenges, but the one constant were the traits I stated earlier. Our academy instructors have mentioned to the class that all the students have “type A” personalities, which couldn’t be truer. All the recruits are extremely determined to be the best at this job. They’re confident, intelligent and possess leadership qualities...even those who may not realize it yet.

We recently started firearms training. This is the most nerve racking skill that we learn. The vastness of detail that goes into each and every session can almost be mind-numbing. After the first 2 sessions, the class quickly knew who the “sharpshooters” were and who among us needed to tighten up their shot groups. As someone who was a horrific shot at one point in my life, I know exactly how frustrating it can be to not get the shooting results you want. My first time qualifying with a rifle in the army, I was the one person out of the 120 soldiers to not qualify. I felt like an absolute failure and overall embarrassed to be around the people I was working with.

I’ve been so impressed with the comradery and support that everyone here gives to each other. Everyone picks each other up and encourages them after a difficult session at the shooting range. I have no doubt that as the academy moves along, everyone will find their stride with shooting and become confident in their skills.

The next thing that the class has started is arrest control. This has been my favorite portion of the curriculum. Arrest Control is all the hand-to-hand fighting that we potentially will have to go through. It also includes all of the searching and handcuffing procedures that we might use every single day of our careers. Just like firearms, there is so much detail that goes into each and every session. The instructors, however, made me a little nervous for this portion of the academy.

Our Arrest Control cadre compared their skill to dancing. We need to be fluid while performing the techniques being taught. If you asked any of the girls I went to dances with in high school, they would tell you that I would be an absolute failure with this. I wasn’t filled with an abundance of hope.

In between firearms and arrest control, we still have our weekly test. While the classroom portion has slowed down, our schedules certainly haven't. Time management has been a skill that I wish could be perfected. Just when I think I have time to sit down and catch my breath, an assignment or a test sneaks up.

 Finding time to do things for myself can be difficult during this stretch of the academy. We all know that it will be worth it in the end. All of us truly want to be here. It’s exciting to watch everyone grow and get better every day. It’s even more exciting to be a part of a group passionately chasing down their dreams of taking our places among law enforcement professionals.

Overall, the academy has been a blast! The teamwork continues to build day in and day out. The academy can be an absolute grind at times, so it’s been essential to lean on each other when we’re having a difficult day. The academy can also bring out some extremely long days, but it’s always fun to have those days that serve as a “gut check.”

In the military, we had a saying when the days were long with no end in sight. We would say “embrace the suck.” This means to embrace the hardships of the journey because, at the end of the day, it was only going to make you better and overall more efficient. At the academy our class motto is “One team, one fight.” We all have taken this to heart - when one person is struggling, we all struggle right along with them until the problem is fixed. I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far and cannot wait to see what the rest of the journey has to offer.