THE NYPD POLICE ACADEMY – ADVICE ON HOW TO PREPARE AND WHAT TO STUDY
If you’re scheduled to enroll in the NYPD training academy, let me be the first one to tell you that your experience there will not be easy. In fact, the New York Police Department basic training academy is one of the toughest in the country.
The challenges you’ll face at the cadet police academy are like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Everyone that you see on day one will not be there during the final graduation day. Some will flunk out while others will simply quit.
Some recruits will overcome the mental and physical challenges you’ll certainly encounter at the NYPD training academy and others will tire out and simply give up. The police academy will challenge every fiber of your being. The devil will be sitting on your shoulder every day trying to convince you to quit. I’m here to tell you to continue moving forward toward your dreams.
When I went through the academy years ago (not with NYPD), I had to talk myself up almost every day because you’ll have one of those days where you want to quit and give up. The psychological mind games some of the training instructors put you through are ridiculous and you can’t allow it to get to you.
The training I went through, although pretty intense, is not half as tough as the New York Police Department Academy. I would put my training intensity at the police academy at 6 with 10 being the highest. The training intensity at the NYPD academy is much higher. I would imagine some cadets would put it at a 9 0r 10.
How to prepare for the NYPD academy?
Although the law enforcement academy is tough, there are some things you can do to prepare for it and give yourself an edge over other incoming cadets. You can prepare yourself physically by running, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
The physical portion of the police academy shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone but preparing yourself for the academic curriculum is where most incoming recruits fail. You can prepare yourself for course exams like criminal law, traffic law, defensive tactics, Firearms, and more.
The best way to prepare yourself for the NYPD academy curriculum is to simply get an “Introduction to Law Enforcement” book to familiarize yourself with some of the laws like, search and seizure or the plain view doctrine. These are just some of the things you’ll be taught at the academy. That’s why it is so important to get a head start by investing in a police academy study guide before going to the academy.
If you can’t pass the course exams (police academy curriculum), you’ll be sent home. I know that sounds harsh, but it is the truth.