After Southern Desert Regional Police Academy recruits marched onto stage at The Cannery Nov. 13, their friends and family were treated to a taste of the intense 20-week program they had completed.
A video montage showed potential officers sparring, shooting, driving and doing pushups while a superior barked at them. Other clips showed recruits grimacing and uttering gibberish as they felt the charge of a Taser, eliciting a few chuckles from the audience.
"The path we chose is not an easy one," Class President Shawn Thiebeault said. "At some point, each of us asked ourselves, 'What did I get myself into?'"
Thiebeault, who will join the Henderson Police Department, recounted the long days extended by studying at home, as well as the fatigue from lack of sleep.
"Sometimes our loved ones had to take a backseat," he said.
But, he added, with their understanding they earned their accomplishment and found a second family in the process.
While some of the 34 new graduates were pinned by their respective chiefs, others had their badges affixed by their policeman fathers. David Medrano had the distinction of having his 84-year-old grandfather, Lou Pappas, who was police chief of Gillette, Wyo., for eight years, walk across the stage and give him his badge.
"It's one of the greatest feelings, I've ever had," said Medrano, one of 10 Henderson Police Department graduates.
Medrano called his time at the academy a once-in-a lifetime experience.
"I hope everyone that goes through it has as good of experience as I did and as much fun as I did," Medrano said.
Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy