Inside week 2: El Paso Police Academy dedicates 90% of training hours to ethics as it works to regain trust from community
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — You may have heard the saying, nothing worth having comes easily.
Well with 41 more weeks in the El Paso Police Academy left to go, this week on Becoming the Badge, cadets are not only pushed physically, but mentally, having to prove themselves that their actions speak louder than words.
Here's a look inside of week two of the 43 week long academy.
Hard work, stamina and determination. The El Paso Police Academy is a mental game only few are brave enough to play.
“If you think of our workday, it’s an eight-hour workday, only one hour of it is actually dedicated to PT, everything else is classroom work,” Officer Frank Torres, an academy instructor said.
The journey is not all muscle and brawn, at least 90 percent of this academy will be in the classroom.
They took their first weekly exam. The standard for the El Paso Police Department is 80 percent or higher,” Officer Joe Lopez, an academy instructor said. “Three of our recruits from the 133rd failed to meet that standard of 80 or above.
The grind to become an El Paso Police Officer is no walk in the park and failing an exam is not a good look.
“We’re hoping that these individuals step it up,” Lopez said.
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This week cadets were taught the importance of teamwork, professionalism and leadership.
“They have to go out there and make sure that what they’re doing is the right thing, because that’s the only way we’re going to get that trust back,” Torres said.
Those values even more important than ever, as EPPD tries to regain the community's trust.
“What type of officer if we were to call 911 do you want showing up at your door? And that’s the officer you need to be,” Torres told cadets.
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Still though, that officer, who has taken an oath to serve and protect, also needs to have the physical ability to respond to any situation thrown their way.
“It’s really important that we stress to the individuals who want to become police officers that they have to come in with a good set of resiliency traits, because some of the stuff that they’re going to go through here, requires that,” Lopez said.
And while all 23 cadets have made it through week two, their resiliency is being tested.
The heat, definitely it’s gotten a little hotter since week one,” Cadet Nathaniel Guevara said. “A lot of running, a lot of calisthenics and body weight stuff, I do feel stronger.
For Cadet Celine Galaviz, her resiliency is not just being tested at the academy, but also at home.
As soon as I get out, I have to worry about my son, picking him up, taking him home, feeding him, making dinner, making lunch for us, shining my boots, ironing my uniform, having our bags ready,” Galaviz said. “My energy is not the best, but I try to have a little bit just to keep up with him and give him the attention that he needs right now.
Cadet Christopher Shingles' energy has not been the best either, but for a different reason.
I was out for three days at UMC getting IV’s in me because I wasn’t hydrating properly and basically got super dehydrated with the workouts and ended up being diagnosed with rhabdo,” Shingles said. “Rhabdo is basically when your muscle fibers break down, but since you’re not properly hydrated, your kidneys can’t flush all that out.
While shingles is putting his best foot forward, the question of whether he can meet the standard to be an El Paso Police Officer remains up in the air.
“Shingle’s is having a rough go at it up here,” Lopez said.
“Yesterday, I found myself super stressed out, I was like man, I don’t know. That little devil sitting on your shoulders like, yeah you can’t do this, why don’t you go ahead and call it in, call it quits, but then I shined my boots, did my uniform and then spent a little time with my daughter, started laughing and having fun and it’s just like, all that stress didn’t completely go away, but got to the point where I was like, I can do this,” Shingles said.
But as the journey ahead continues, there’s another bump in the road.
Come to find out over the weekend Shingles ended up with COVID,” Lopez said. “Right now, we’re going to have to sit down and really evaluate what his position is here.
Next week on Becoming the Badge, will cadet Shingles make it through week three or hang up his boots?
You can watch our weekly segments every Wednesday on the KFOX14 Morning News and Sunday nights on KFOX14 News at Nine. Missed last weeks segment? You can watch it online using this link.
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