Week 7 Pics

Berlin Wall

East German Guard Tower

UnaBomber's cabin

The two guys from Nebraska, me and Godfrey Brokenrope from Aurora PD 

International Night and More

Wednesday night was “International Night”, which is a night where all of the international students set up a booth to showcase their countries food, liquor, beer, gifts, etc. Some of the food good, some there was no way I was trying, such as the duck egg….eck

There was a variety of beverages at many of the booths, with the Aruba “Spider” drink a favorite.  They say International Night is one of the best nights for fun and networking and it was spot on.    I-Night ended at 8 pm.  We then had to meet in the Boardroom for a follow up meeting and additional networking.  The meeting ended at 11pm and Neil from Thunder Bay broke out his guitar and serenaded many of us in the Crossroads area for a short time.  The sound of bagpipes was heard on several dorm room floors shortly thereafter.  One thing is for sure; don’t ever let a Texan (Ed) attempt to play the ‘pipes!!!

Our media class trekked up to Washington DC on a field trip to the Newseum.  It’s a museum dedicated to the history of news, newspapers, and the like.  There was a couple sections of the Berlin Wall there along with the Shoe Bomber’s shoes and the Unabomber’s cabin (which were on loan from the FBI to the museum).  Cool stuff. The bus ride back was entertaining when Bryan from North Carolina got stuck in the john on the bus for a short time. 

Thursday classes, like every day, start at 0800.  One problem today was the fact that anyone who sampled beverages from the different countries at I-Night found out why you shouldn’t mix alcoholic beverages.  0800 came way too quick for many.  I am glad I wasn’t one who had PT at that time. 

Speaking of PT, our master-of-pain, EJ, again pushed the limits of sanity.  Today’s torture session was a set of eight (8) 400 meter runs.  You had a partner who runs a 400, then when he’s done, you run, then him, then you, etc.  A total of 8 laps for each guy.  So you run and then get about a 2 minute rest in-between laps while the other guy goes.  The trick is to attempt to run each lap near what the starting pace was (for instance I am a 1:50 per lap guy) strangely enough, you tend to get stronger later in the game. Coming off International Night, waterboarding would have been more fun.

The “challenge” on Wednesday was called the “‘Winged Monkey Assault.” About a dozen different stations are set up on the track area that worked various parts of our body.  We were on the clock for 30 minutes….the goal was to keep moving non-stop the whole time.  One more challenge to go before the Yellow Brick Road in 2 weeks.  Next week is the “Journey to Oz”, which is a 5 mile run….followed by a large dose of Advil.

 

The highlight of the week was today with a presentation from Lt Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police.  Paul is the public affairs officer for CSP and handled the media at the Newtown school shooting.  Hearing his insight was both interesting and educational.  Twenty children and 6 adults killed….Paul was able to clarify some things for those of us in law enforcement that honestly citizens don’t ever need to know. Horrific cannot describe what happened there.  I thought at the time of the crime Paul did a magnificent job and hearing a presentation about it from him confirmed my initial impression of him on television…professional to the core. My heart continues to go out for the families, first responders and the community of Newtown. 

Linguistics

Dinner last night was entertaining as I was at a table with a guy from Belgium, Scotland, Tennessee, Alaska and New Jersey. Listening to the different accents was in itself awesome. The blending of cultures here is pretty cool. I like to people watch, and that has been taken to a new level listening to people talk. From back woods Alabama to the Queen’s English to the difference between Suffolk County (New York) and Elizabeth, New Jersey, it sounds cool. The Detroit guys talk different than the Illinois guys, but much like the Cleveland peeps. The Texas boys are different than those from Oklahoma. The Maine guy is different than the Massachusetts and Connecticut guys. Then there's the Philly guys. I can't leave out the West Virginia and Southern Virginia guys. Throw in the Tennessee talk as well. The Carolina guys have their own language. The Minnesota and Wisconsin guys do say"eh". I can’t even get into the International dialects.

From Nebraska west to the Pacific Coast there doesn't seem to be much of a twang. Boring

About 100+ of us attended a weekend training in Philadelphia put on by the members of our class from PPD. There was a great session on explosives and tactical response. Philly is a big city with a lot of crime, and how they respond and deal with it is crucial. It surprised me how much of a slum Philly is outside of downtown. Those cops have a lot to deal with on their plates. The Real Time Crime Center appears state of the art in the making. A tour of the Citizens National Bank Ballpark and the sports complex where the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers play reinforced how crucial crowd management needs to be at high profile sporting events. I don't think you really can understand until you experience the complete behind the scenes tour.  Philadelphia Police were outstanding hosts. I cannot say enough on how well we were treated. Thanks Tom and Ray!!

As for the bus driver of bus #2, he needs a new job that doesn’t involve driving and the bus needs new brakes.

Wicked Witch Hunt

Class 252 got back into the swing of things after the 3-day break. Tuesday was the basic classroom sessions and Wednesday was another athletic challenge and enrichment speaker. The challenge this week was called the "Wicked Witch Hunt" which began with a 1/2 mile run, followed by a set of 20 lunges, off on another run, followed by a set of 25 pushup on the side of the road, another run, another exercise (bear crawls up and down a hill x 3, another run to the parking garage, up the garage steps to the top level, 20 burpies (up and downs...you feel the effect of these rather quickly), a run back to the track, backward bear crawl up a steep embankment followed by "dive bomber pushups" over a trench, then about a 200 meter sprint to the finish. Everyone eventually finished. It's always good to be in the middle of the pack and "represent" for us older guys!!

The enrichment speaker was Bobby Smith, a Louisiana trooper who was shot in the face and blinded in 1986 by a dope dealer. Smith has been involved in helping officers through traumatic incidents and uses his life experiences (he has lost both his son and daughter to tragic incidents since his shooting) to get his message out. His book, Visions of Courage is a good read.

I was following the weather forecast for the Omaha metro where they were calling for the end of the world (10+ inches of snow). It was entertaining to see the hype was overdone again by the weather people. How do they keep their jobs??

I have commented several times about the PT class and the medieval methods of torture EJ O'Malley uses to bring pain to my body. Today, another chapter. Four stations, 50 seconds each x 4 (16 total) followed by sprints on the track. He has a point when he says you get what you put into a workout. If you dog it, why bother?? Police officers in 2013 should all be "21st Century Tactical Athletes"...which is a combination of being in good physical and mental shape to do the job. A good workout plan combined with decent nutrition is the key. Weight loss is pretty much easily done by eating the right foods (including the ones you like) but having smaller portions....combined with exercise.

If anyone reading this is a future NA student, enroll in the Forensics class with Buddy McGinnis. Forensics sounds intimidating; however this is an overview course and has been very enlightening. Buddy even made the presentation on "tool impressions" interesting. His delivery and wit is well received. The guy knows his stuff. It is AMAZING what science can do in the world of crime scene investigation. Next week is a presentation on underwater evidence recovery.

Interesting conversation of the day included a discussion with a guy from the North Carolina Dept. of Fish and Game who was telling a story about poachers shooting bears in order to cut out the bear's gall bladder.. Evidently there's a black market for medical use in Russia and some people ingest the gallbladders as an aphrodisiac.

To some of the people here the gall bladder might taste better than the cafeteria food at this point.

Starting Week 6

Friday was get-out day as many of the class 252ers went home for the day weekend.  I was one such soul.  I will admit that DC traffic on I-95 is the worst in the country.  When I got on 95 to head to DCA on Friday at 4:30, I had smooth sailing northbound.  Traffic southbound from when I got on at Quantico all the way to the 395 merge was backed up, that's about 30 straight miles.  No telling how far south of Quantico it was added to that.  That commute must really blow for people in the suburbs.  Here's to a 6 am to 6 pm workday!!!
Our PT instructor wasn't about to let us go for a 3 day weekend without a going away gift of 35 straight minutes of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 66 reps of sadomasocist exercise!! There's not enough leg room on any plane to compensate for that!
Returning to Quantico on Monday required a meeting in the boardroom.  Interesting cop talk and strange-but-true stories of murder and intrigue!  The guy from Connecticut had a strange story involving a sock...whoa....
Upward and onward we go...

Week 5

Week 5 was basically the longest week of the session. It seemed like every day and night had something going. I think the PT instructors were bent on retaliating on the 100+ that went to NYC. PT on Monday involved running out to the five level parking structure and splitting into two sections of 25…one section detailed to a routine of 20 squats, sprinting up four flights of stairs on the NE side of the structure, 20 pushups, then a sprint to the NW side and repeating the routine on all four sides of the structure. After a one minute break, we switched with the other group and did 100 yard sprints up the parking garage ramp and band work, then jogged down the ramp and repeated the sprints for 10 minutes straight. Brutal, torturous, medieval…but a great workout.

The IACP hosted a dinner at the Officer’s Club at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. It was a quick meal with a good speech by the IACP rep. After 5 straight weeks of chow hall chicken, most, if not almost all of the class, was hoping for something other than chow hall chicken…nope.

Speaking of food, 5 weeks of chow hall food without seasoning starts to wear on people.

Wednesday was a “challenge day”, which meant a 3.2 mile run on the roads surrounding the FBI Academy. The runs used to be on scenic trails, however last year unexploded ordinance was discovered and the Marines closed the trails. Everyone completed the run; however, several suffered injuries from the run. Nothing major, but some were hobbling around. A group of us enjoyed another post-challenge “touch” football game. Joe from Ohio still looks like he can play LB for any D1 school.

Wednesday afternoon saw an enrichment seminar presented by Mike Durant, the Blackhawk helicopter pilot who was shot down and captured by Somalia warlords in 1993. Mike was held captive for 11 days and sustained gruesome injuries. His crew was killed. It was interesting to hear his story and learn firsthand how political mistakes by those in Washington lead to our troops unnecessarily being without the resources they need. He talked about the importance of leaders being those that can make decisions. If you are afraid or can’t make a decision, you have a tough time being a leader. His definition of leadership is “taking people to places they otherwise wouldn’t go”.

Wednesday night took the class to the National Peace Officers Memorial at Judiciary Square in DC. It was cold and rainy, but no one seemed to care. A somber ceremony was held. The senseless murders of officers in Southern California by the cowardly idiot were on many of our minds.

Thursday saw a third day of PT. What we thought would be a recovery day turned into a basic 20 minute circuit of strength conditioning followed by taking planking to another level. Most of us went to that spirit world EJ talks about. A 4 on 4 basketball game followed the PT workout and revenge was taken on EJ. A Valentine’s Day meeting was held in the Boardroom later in the evening.

Friday is get-away day with many heading home for the 3-day weekend. As a sendoff for Section 4, we’re “lucky” enough to have PT as the last class on Friday. We’ve been warned that a proper beginning to a 3-day weekend includes a healthy breakfast and a full-body workout. Gee, lucky us.
We’re halfway through the session and the importance of networking has been taken up a notch as stories and department experiences are being discussed more now that we’re comfortable with each other. The second half of the session should be a great learning environment.

The picture of the two men at the table is kinda cool...one guy is from the US Border Patrol and the other from the Tijuana (Mexico) Police Department. Both great guys.

Finding NEMO

The weekend saw a class trip to NYC. National Academy tradition is to have a New York trip lottery and those lucky enough to get into the 110+ slots and $550 (which include hotel, transportation and dinner at Carmines) get to bus up to the City. We left in search of super-snowstorm Nemo and found parts of it halfway through New Jersey. The bus driver slowed a little and increased his following distance and got us to Manhattan around 7pm. We stayed around 54/7th Avenue in a great location. I have never been to NYC Having lived in LA and been to Chicago, I had a good idea of what to expect, but I was blown away by number of tall buildings... everywhere in Manhattan.

The snow really intensified and we were hungry so a group of us hit McSorleys...the oldest bar&grille in New York...open since 1854.

Times Square was still rocking even in blizzard conditions. It was a good feeling to walk in with a group of 8 guys and see another group from our trip in the various pubs.

A late night turned into an early morning as we boarded the bus at 8 am Saturday morning for a trip to 1 Police Plaza (NYPD Headquarters). A quick tour and we were off to the NYPD Aviation Unit on the south end of Brooklyn. There was obviously more snow there...one of the pilots had an adventure getting to work from Long Island...he said he had about 2 feet of snow in his 'hood. Gracious and professional reps of NYPD.

We had free time for around 4 hours before the class dinner. Several of us took the time to walk...alot...between 54th and around 40th / Madison Avenue to 5th Ave. Its amazing to see how close things are, whether it be Madison Sq Garden or Carnigie Hall...only a few blocks seperate the iconic places.

Dinner for 110 was at Carmines in Times Square. This ia a must stop for anyone. Servings are family style, and our meal was a five courser. Word was the bill was $11,000, which equates to around $100 per person. I'm sure we'll be paying for the calories at PT on Monday.

Another late night led to another early morning as we left Sunday morning at 8:30 for the water. FDNY hooked up the class with a fire boat tour of the Hudson river on a large and sofisticated rescue boat (basically a ship). Ellis Island, statue of Liberty, brooklyn Bridge, etc. (the New Jersey guys say Manhattan get the front of Lady Liberty and New Jersey has to look at her rear!) It was chilly, no cold, but well worth the chill. Hats of to the FDNY

Next stop was the World Trade Center site. We got the behind the scenes tour thanks to the Port Authority Police. There is a small exhibit and the memorial, which is nicley done. What floored me was the list of people who died in the attacks of 9-11 and their pictures. Most everyone teared up at some point walking through the exhibit. Class 252 bought a large memorial wreath and we grouped together to pay our respects.

The e-ticket was the new World Trade building under construction. The Freedom Tower is 105 stories and overlooks the 9-11 site. Its scheduled to open in spring of 2014.

The bus back to the Q was suppossed to leave at 4, but that pushed back to around 5 so a large group of us stopped next to the site at O'Hara's Pub. The bartender is FDNY and gave us the firefighter look at the attack. He rode his Harley with Bunker gear on from Brooklyn to respond to the site on 9-11 (great pictures) He lost alot of friends that day.

Having seen the crime scene, it gives you a better perspective when you go back and watch the video/read the stories of the 9-11 attack in NYC.

NYC is a must do. There is soooo much to do/see, and now with a better understanding on where to go, I will be back.

Blood & Cryptology....

Today was the Cyclone Challenge, not not a trip to Ames, Iowa to see Iowa State, but a six stage, four times around visit to the "spirit world". 35 seconds of muscular endurance, 15 seconds to get to the next station, and 35 more seconds of pain...6 stations....4 tmes each station...20 minutes straight...whoa

Most, if not all the 270 participants, completed the challenge and wanted more.  Amazingly, there is strength in numbers when it comes to endurance workouts...people push each other to get better...whether an acacemy recruit or command school copper, the brotherhood continues on  It seems easier described than it is.  

Ten or so of us ventured out to the track to continue the PT regime by playing touch football...a team of Nebraska-Wisconsin-LSU and Utah guys got it on with West VA, BYU, FLA and Penn St.  Finally can say B1G over SEC.

 A cool thing while playing football was watching the HRT choppers fly over and hearing the training rounds going off.   What I would call the civilian version of the Navy SEALS, the FBI's team is serious badass.    What they did in Alabama to save the youngster is amazing when you realize what they did.  Being here brings home the FACT that there are some quality law enforcement professionals at all levels, local, state, military and federal.  Combine that with the international professionals in the class...premium blend people! 

There was a Speaker in Forensics that went over the art of cryptology...no, not the study of gangbangers, but of code breaking...from gambling sheets to secret notes.  The people who break the code(s) are very talented to put it Mildly.

The food is beginning to become a subject of interest...four weeks of the same thing have gotten on many people's hit list.  There's still a choice of some ok stuff, but it starts to get old.  Thankfully i've got a fridge in the room.  

Tonight was a voluntary meeting in the Boardroom that saw many of class 252 in attendance. Important things were discussed. 

A trip to NYC is on the agenda for this weekend.  A "nor-easter" is forcast for Friday-Saturday...hopefully the weather forecasters are as bad here as they are in Omaha

G Dub was kinda a big deal

Wednesday night saw an enrichment session with former Navy Commander Kirk Lippold, who was in command of the USS Cole when it was bombed by Al-Qaeda terrorists in 2000. Seventeen of his men were killed and thirty-nine were injured.  Lippold talked about crisis leadership and the importance of planning ahead, something that is sometimes overlooked at times.  Succession planning in law enforcement should be taking place at management, mid-management and line levels.  Preparing your staff for the future and giving them opportunities to shine are no-brainer concepts. 
Thursday and Friday were PT days for Section 4.  EJ had stations of self-torture each day.  Going hard at it for a shorter period of time is better for conditioning than running the 2-miler at a 10 minute pace.  Results come from hard work...hard work produces results.  Sorry to say, but those shake-weights just don't cut it dear....

Saturday, I treked with the Wisconsin boys to Mt. Vernon to see George Washington's place. I didn't realize how close to DC it is (about 20 miles). GW had an estate of 8000 acres, which is crazy huge in today's real estate world. Martha was a rich widow when she married George and the two of them did well in the 1700s. The Mt. Vernon spread has been restored and there are many original aspects of the estate. I learned more about Washington in about 3 hours than I ever knew. The view from his back yard of the Potomac ranks up there as one of the best backyard views I've ever seen.

 One of the Wisconsin guys hasn't figured out that the doors didn't have key fob opening ability in 1799

The view of the Potomac from Washington's back yard...

The back of the house

President Washington's tomb.  He and Martha are laid to rest here.

The front of the house