TPD Blog

Officer Amy Hoehner's Graduation Speech

Editor's Note:

On Friday, February 8, 2008, another class graduated the Tulsa Police Academy. Apprentice Police Officer Amy Hoehner, like her twenty-two classmates, endured 26 weeks of vigorous training, trials and tribulations.

Below is the speech that Officer Hoehner gave during the graduation ceremony. We hope you've enjoyed Officer Hoehner's blog contributions about her academy experience. We hope she--and other officers--continue to share their experiences in the field.

Congratulations Class 2007-98...we're proud of your accomplishments!

Graduation Speech

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well," (Martin Luther King Jr., 1956).

Class 2007-98 is closing the first chapter of the rest of their lives. We entered this building and stood on this stage as 24 strangers. As we sit here today we have become much more than friends, we are family. The gap between my brother on my left and me has closed. We have been armed with the shield that will protect us, our fellow officers and the City of Tulsa.

We share memories that could best be described as nightmares (ok some of them). It all started on Black Monday with Cpl. Smith yelling, “Give me two more”. It seemed to be a trend with the range staff because a few weeks after Black Monday it was Sgt. Eckert bettering our minds and bodies by telling us to get on our face, on our back, and touch the fence.

Then there were the days of defensive tactics. There are a handful of us that are over 30 and I think it’s safe to say we felt every bit of being 30 something. As all of us went home after a fun filled day of fighting professional fighters we had to practice because that’s what good APO’s do. The dinner time conversation went something like, “Baby my whole body hurts. It was a rough day in defensive tactics. That stuff really hurts. Come here let me show you.”

But what would defensive tactics be without the day of OC or pepper spray? The entire class dreaded this day and rightfully so. We had to spray each other, fight an instructor, and handcuff someone all while fighting off the pain from the devil’s spit. Some APO’s went hands on and some just neutralized the suspect. Either way we had to put an end to the torture. When we were finally finished, the reactions ranged from people running in circles to kneeling in the parking lot praying to God that the pain would stop sometime soon.

Law enforcement driver training was by far one of the best parts of the academy if not the best. There is nothing like having someone hand you keys to a police car and tell you to drive fast. On top of that we were on the other side of the city and Cpl. Smith was nowhere close. We drove frontwards, backwards, and sideways and had a blast. We cheered for each other when time was of the essence and held our breath as cones went flying. When we finished law enforcement driver training not only had we accomplished one more hurdle of the academy but we also knew we had to slow down once we hit Admiral in our personal vehicles.

Twenty-six weeks were filled with ups and downs, tears, laughter, and oh yeah tests. We didn’t make this journey alone. Our families, spouses, significant others, moms and dads felt pressure as much as we did. Time was taken away from them with gun cleaning, studying, and the constant traffic of APO’s in and out of their homes. I don’t think that any of us can say thank you enough to our families for being so patient and supportive. Also know that you will never be alone; you are family now.

Before the class video begins I would like to end with a quote that has been taped to our fridge in the break room during the duration of the academy:

“This is my shield. I bear it before me into battle, but it is not mine alone. It protects my brother on my left. It protects my city. I will never let my brother out of its shadow nor my city out of its shelter. I will die with my shield before me facing the enemy.”

The Devil Went Down to Tulsa…

On Tuesday, January 8th I think I met the devil himself. Call it a "rite of passage," good training, or just plain cruel, but whatever it was I don't ever want to do it again. This day was the long awaited OC (pepper) spray day. Every person reading this who has been sprayed in the past or just wants to enjoy the agony of an APO, keep reading.

We knew this was the scheduled day for OC. The morning was all classroom and test review. The instructors could have told us this test would determine our fate and we still would have been just as lethargic. We were as nervous as we had ever been and nothing else mattered. The only thing we knew was in a matter of hours we would be wishing that Jesus Christ Himself could lay hands on us.

Four of us went to lunch before we got sprayed. I wasn't very hungry and I just can't imagine why. I just know that I am SO thankful for the sense of humor of my friends. I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long. I think a lot of it was nerves and part of it was the third grade jokes.

We returned to the academy dragging our feet across the parking lot. I tried to keep a positive attitude but it was really hard considering the pain I knew I was facing. Then I remembered the words of my classmate from the same morning, "It shouldn't hurt, I like hot food. I put Tabasco on everything and wasabi doesn't even bother me." You're probably laughing as hard as I was.

It was game time and I think all of us wanted our mommies. The guys that had been sprayed before were the first to be sprayed. So as each one of them runs through the gym they make it look really easy. It's like watching ice-skating and realizing that it's not as easy as sliding across your icy driveway, slipping and doing some kind of hop thing.

I just wanted to get it over with as all of us did. We had to spray each other, which I hated just as much as getting sprayed. It's my turn to spray one of my classmates. Yay for me, I had to spray one of the nicest guys in my class. Spray number one, not good enough; spray number 2 not good enough; finally spray number three was a new can and he got hosed. Man I felt bad, really bad.

Now it was my turn. The instructors were trying to make me mad but the only thing I could do was laugh on the inside. I knew this was one of the worst things I could ever experience. Well, now, there is a twist to all this. After you get sprayed you have to handle a suspect. This means you have to fight, shoot, do something to the "bad guy" after you've been sprayed. OK here we go…I get sprayed not once but twice. I handle the bad guy and go back into the gym where I have to do this all over again (minus getting sprayed again). I finish the scenario by handcuffing someone.

By this time my face feels like someone has dumped lighter fluid on me and set me on fire. I don't even want to think about opening my eyes and my eyes won't allow it anyway. I can hear several of my classmates around me. I can hear someone say, "Just keep running in circles it's the only thing that helps." Once I finally get my eyes open I can finally see where everyone it standing, laying, sitting, kneeling, you name it. I look across the parking lot and see the same classmate who thought "no big deal I eat hot food" kneeling in the parking and, by all appearances, praying. I guess consuming multitudes of hot food really doesn't assist you when your face is on fire.

We tried everything to keep from getting hot and the last thing we wanted to do was sweat. There was no delay in leaving the academy that day. I just wanted to stop burning and I didn't care how. Unfortunately I knew as soon as I got in the shower it was going to start all over again.

If we had to do that all the time I don't know how many of us would still be around. This was by FAR the worst day of the academy. There is nothing like rubbing cayenne peppers on your face and in your eyes. Oh, and then re-activating it when you get in the shower. Priceless.

I don't think I've ever done anything to deserve that, and don't ever want to. The devil can go back to wherever he came from.

APO Amy Hoehner

It's just Pain That Will Go Away

The Christmas break was great. In all honesty it would have been much better if we didn't have to return to defensive tactics after eating non-stop for four days. After talking to my classmates that morning I think we all expected to take a trip to the trash can at some point during the training.

It was actually a pretty good day other than being stuffed from the day before. The morning was spent learning how to handle individuals armed with different types of weapons. I know for me, I was really able to gauge what tactic I feel comfortable with and what I don't. After running around the gym resembling a game of Space Invaders we moved on to handcuffing scenarios.

We returned from lunch and watched in amazement as an APO attempted to pull a vehicle into the gym. It's hard to tell the story and paint the picture as funny as it was without knowing this APO. Just a quick overview: he flies Apache helicopters. It was
a 30-minute ordeal for him just to pull this vehicle in through the gym doors. It went from us laughing about that to imagining him using us as cones in a serpentine. We could only picture us hanging on from the undercarriage with him driving 35 mph around the gym. Ok, so this is probably only APO humor, but it was funny.

After I sprouted more gray hair, the car was finally parked. The whole reason for having the car in the gym was for vehicle extractions. The day only got more entertaining. One of the instructors that demonstrated how to extract someone is one of the baddest people I have ever met. So there sits one of my fellow APO's in the driver seat. This same instructor is going to demonstrate on this APO how to extract a subject out of a vehicle. His lasts words of comfort were, "it's pain that will go away not permanent pain." We laughed too because we knew how bad it was going to hurt no matter if it was temporary or not.

Once we finished ripping each other from a car, it was on to going one on one with an instructor. Sounds like great fun and let me tell you it was. We went through several scenarios with an instructor. In my final fight, my instructor decided he wanted to take the fight to the ground. You learn really fast it's a lot easier to critique from the outside. When you're locked up with someone and there are weapons involved you can only do with what you know at the time. You are literally fighting for your life. This fight ended my day and it was fantastic.

On Thursday and Friday the class was split into two groups. My half of the class learned about the Intoxilyzer (the instrument that someone blows into to determine the amount of alcohol in someone's system). Thursday was all classroom learning nomenclature, affects of alcohol and laws. It sounds boring, but I thought it was actually interesting.

Friday morning came really early. 4:00 a.m. early. My group was meeting to load up in a van and head to Oklahoma City to complete our practical training for the Intoxilyzer. Once the day started, it really wasn't that bad. We took our written test first and then continued on with learning how to run the tests on the intoxilyzer. Along with that we also learn how to complete the forms for the instrument and for blood kits. Once you get the hang of it it's really easy to do. I can sum it up by push the green button, follow the prompts, and wait for the print out.

Even though it was a short week it was a good week. We are so close to graduation I think we can all taste it. We are all in burn out mode and just really ready to get out there. Individual pictures are next week and I think it will be a great pick me up. For the first time we will put on our full uniform and badge. After pictures there will only be five more weeks until we can call the uniform ours.

APO Amy Hoehner

Police Academy Class Enjoys Driver Training

Historically, law enforcement personnel have been given keys to a $20,000 vehicle and told to drive with no driving training of any kind. On the other hand, law enforcement officers are required to attend many hours of firearm instruction and required to re-qualify at least once a year. The number of officers that have been shot has decreased by 36% over the past three decades. The disturbing fact in these statistics is that, while shootings have fallen, more officers are dying in automobile accidents. The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund tracks fatalities and has determined that, "…in the decade ending last year, 477 officers died in auto accidents. That was up 29% from the 369 of the previous decade and 40% from the 342 killed in the decade before that." The reason for this trend is due to law enforcement departments only providing the bare minimum in driver training. Better driver training is essential to saving lives of police officers, (http://www.nleomf.com/)

More and more law enforcement personnel are killed in the line of duty in traffic collisions. In just two years cited, 1999 and 2003, collisions have killed more officers than those killed by means of guns. Due to the number of law enforcement collisions and fatalities involving vehicles, the Tulsa Police Department has been dedicated to training officers to reduce the severity of collisions and reduce the number of collisions all together.

I don't think I could stress enough the importance of driver training for law enforcement. In the academy we only spend one week learning everything we possibly can to protect the safety of the public, ourselves, and other officers while driving. As serious as this training is, the LEDT week has been by far the best week of the academy.

On Monday we jumped right into the driver seat and drove what is called the Challenge Course. This course has to be completed in 2:45 and tests all your basic driving skills at speeds that the average person would not drive. Only two people in my class passed the course without hitting anything and under time. It was obvious we had a long way to go.

The remaining hours of the day were spent learning the basics skills for officers. If you can picture the Shriners in their little cars at a parade that's what we looked like driving around the course. If we would have been cut loose after this day of training the citizens of Tulsa would have been very, very afraid. We killed more traffic cones than we saved.

The next two days were spent covering the basic skills at night. It was bad enough with the sun shining but with absolutely no illumination it was even worse. The day before I did pretty well but when the night drive started I really started to get frustrated. Of course, I was being too hard on myself but I knew that I needed to get it down before the test on Thursday.

Thursday started at 1:00 p.m. with the Challenge Course test and this time it counted. The time of killing cones and mowing the lawn with our cars was over. We each had to pass the test under 2:45 and we could not hit one cone. I think this was the most stressed I have ever seen the class. We paced around the grass and waited to hear everyone's fate. Let me throw in one more thing:  if we didn't pass under time and hit any cones within three attempts we would be sent home. Basically we could lose our job.

It was finally my turn and I was a nervous wreck. My instructor ensured me I wouldn't have any problems. I really wanted to believe him but I didn't. My time started and I don't remember a stinkin thing about my run. I just knew at the end I didn't hit anything, I passed with the first run, and my time was good. Talk about a sigh of relief.

Once everyone passed this course it was on to driving the Challenge Course at night. This was a ton of fun. The helicopter came out and we drove with two cars at a time. This is also where I owe every previous class that I dispatched for during LEDT an apology. Driving and calling the pursuit on the police radio is not easy at all.

Our final day started with a written test and then it was on to the Pursuit Course test. This course had the same rules but it was a runnin ton of fun to drive. I had no problem finding the long pedal on the right and loved every minute of it. We had the opportunity to drive the course several more times and it was just as much fun each time. 

The skills that we learned this week are by far some of the most important. Even if we are able to pass them on to family and friends to help save them while they are driving, it was well worth every minute. Captain Yates and the group of instructors he has put together are absolutely amazing. They proved why they sought after all over the nation. By far this was the best week of the academy.
More officers are killed in vehicle collisions than by gunfire. This in itself should be proof of why the training is so important. We had so much fun and learned more than we could have ever bargained for.

APO Amy Hoehner

I Can’t Wait for More

Anxious, excited, and nervous are only a few words that describe the emotional roller coaster that I have been experiencing over the past several weeks. We are nearing the end; only eight more weeks. It seems so surreal. For many years I have worked to be where I am right now and in eight weeks, assuming I don’t mess something up completely, I will be wearing the TPD blue and the badge.

Over the past several weeks nothing has gotten any easier. November 19th the class began week 15 with what we thought was another day at the range. We learned quickly how fast things could change. After shooting some, we were addressed by several competitive shooters and instructors. Sgt. Eckert then told us that we would be assisting in the search for Cori Baker.

This was the first time that we, as a class, were really able to be a part of something significant in the Tulsa community. Once we arrived in the area in which we were going to search, we broke up into groups and searched specific areas. The areas consisted of open fields, overgrown pasture, and wooded terrain. Unfortunately the search was to no avail. I know that in the back of my mind I wished something would have been discovered, even if it were a piece of clothing. After being a part of the search, I could only attempt to imagine the pain and frustration the Baker family is experiencing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family throughout this time.

The following week was learning a skill we will use all the time, Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST). Until this point I never realized there was such a science behind these tests. Even with all the technical information, this class was a lot of fun. The first day was all classroom instruction and reviewing of the individual tests. It was time to put what we had learned thus far to the test. For two days we actually participated in a drinking lab where we performed SFST on individuals who had been drinking. This was a very valuable training tool. I have to say though I quickly realized, yep, I really am a rookie. I stumbled through the instructions along with everything else. It all turned out well in the end. It was just a matter of getting there.

Traffic collisions were a topic that I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to or not. Cpl. Collum came in with a group of instructors that truly made traffic collisions interesting. Obviously there is math and physics involved in collisions (which either one I ever cared to learn anymore about). Put that stuff in front of me and it’s like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.  I actually walked away making sense out of the formulas and what we are supposed to do with them.

Once we got through the how-to’s, we got into the meat of working the collisions. The report forms are long and it does take time to learn what goes where and how to properly fill out the forms. We also got a head start on report writing as the instructors taught us the collisions report forms on the laptop computers. The computer form is much easier but I still had to figure out what to “x”, what to number, and what to even fill in for that matter. By the end of the week I really enjoyed collisions. Now I have no doubt that I may change my mind when I’m standing on the side of a roadway with cars driving by at 70 mph.

A slight change in schedule for this past week is an understatement. As most Tulsans know the area was hit hard and fast by an ice storm on December 9. There were downed power lines and trees throughout Northeast Oklahoma. I can only describe my neighborhood and it resembled the remnants of a tornado. As the class gathered in a classroom outside the academy due to a power outage it was decided that we would be assigned to an academy staff member. Our job was to assist the uniform divisions in blocking and redirecting traffic. I have to say after a fourteen-hour day I was ready to go home to a warm house Unfortunately my power was out like everyone else’s.

On Tuesday we were again assigned to another officer but this time it was a detective. We spent our time going to different businesses and talking to business owners. I learned a lot this day. I am really appreciative to have been assigned the detective that I was. On the same note I really appreciated the time we were able to spend talking to local business owners. As small of a difference that we may have made, I hope that someone was able to sleep a little better knowing that someone was looking out for them.

The week was ended with the classroom portion of law enforcement driver training (LEDT). Several years I have spent looking forward to this block. I’ve spent a lot of time learning and researching different aspects of LEDT. I even wrote my senior thesis using the TPD LEDT program as my specific group in which I studied. So I think it’s easy to say I’m “ate up” with it.

Starting Monday December 17th we start actually driving. I don’t know of anyone that could argue that driving a police car at high speeds wouldn’t be some of the most fun you could ever have.

With only eight weeks to go it’s hard to relax even a little. I can testify to the fact that you are your own worst critic. I wonder what I may mess up before it’s all said and done. Over the past four weeks I’ve been chased by cows in fields, watched intoxicated people fall all over themselves, and frozen, all by no choice of my own. All that to say, “I can’t wait until February 8th to get some more.”

APO Amy Hoehner

Pain

Unlike the song pain, I would rather not feel pain at all after our first defensive tactics day. The week that actually marked our half point was brutally welcomed with knocking our selves, and each other, silly.

Defensive tactics (DT) is a very necessary evil of the academy. I was really looking forward to this portion of our training. Anyone who has ever participated in any sort of defensive tactics should be laughing already. Don't get me wrong I had a blast until the end of the training day. Here I am thinking I'll train with the men in my class because I really need to know what it is going to be like. I pair up with one of the biggest guys in my class (he is solid and stands at about 6'5).  I would like to say this was well thought out but really it was just ignorant.

By the end my shoulder hated me and so did the rest of my body. I hurt in places I never wanted to hurt. Classmates had bruises on them that looked like something or someone vicious had attacked them; when in fact it was a fellow classmate. The following days, and yes I said days, I felt older than what I ever wanted to feel.

The DT instructors are unbelievable. When you hear their resumes you quickly understand why they are our instructors. They are all of different shapes, ages, and each has a different expertise. If nothing else it's a great reminder don't ever underestimate your opponent.

DT was followed by 16 hours of handling the mentally ill. Because police have so much contact with the mentally ill and even the homeless population that is plagued with mental illness it is imperative that we are well trained in this area. The first day was spent learning as much as we could about the specifics regarding different types of mental illness, i.e. schizophrenia, bi-polar, and depression. We also met mental health professionals from COPES, TCBH, IMPACT, and representatives from TPD who have received more than the basic training for mental health.

Day two was really interesting. The class was separated into groups and placed in different areas throughout the academy. Mental health professionals acted out actual situations in which they were schizophrenic or manic and we had to handle the situation as if it were a real call. The mental health professionals were absolutely believable. If a stranger walked in they would have not known the difference. This was a great exercise. I learned so much from going through the scenarios and receiving the feedback.

The week can be summed up by us beating each other senseless followed by mental illness. I'm wondering if they were trying to tell us something. What we learned this week was really important and can be used throughout our careers. I can only look forward to more bruises and truly feeling my age.

APO Amy Hoehner

New Podcast: Tulsa Police Recruiter Jesse Guardiola

http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2007/11/16/recruiting-tpd-talks-10/

Over the Hump

Time is flying by faster than what I expected. The good thing is the fun has just begun. The regular range days are complete. Let me say how thrilled I am it is over. If I could shoot my shotgun all the time, loaded with slugs, life would be really good. But for some reason I can't see the Department buying me a holster for my shotgun that would attach to my knee brace. Overall the instructors have been great. It says a lot to me when an instructor offers all the time necessary to help improve my shooting. Anytime I was frustrated, which seemed to be all the time, the same instructor always found the right thing to say. It is a true testimony of the great training staff we have on TPD.

During the same week, we had a class on building and room searches. The class drove to a church where we split into groups. Each group was assigned an instructor who was also a SOT member. As we went over different techniques it truly demonstrated I work with a great group of people. Even though we tripped over each other, ourselves, and smacked each other in the head we still managed to learn so much and laugh while completing each entry. The importance of this class cannot be minimized. I think we were all in agreement that more time training on entries would be very beneficial.

In my group was an officer from my previous class. He was training with the instructor that was in charge of my group. Having a familiar face in my group was really nice. We made mistakes together and learned together. He is a great example of the great caliber of officers we have on this department. He chose to refresh his training to keep himself updated on an important aspect of the job.

The best story about this day was one I really did not expect. My group was standing upstairs waiting for the room to be set up that we were going to search. I had my camera ready, waiting for the perfect photo op. The next thing I know one of the instructors grabs me by the sleeve and pulls me into where another group is practicing their techniques. I try to get my camera ready and before I know it the instructor points to one of my classmates in a prone position on the floor. As I lifted my camera I saw what the instructor wanted me to capture for the history books of Class 2007-98. The APO that was in a prone position, yeah, he looked up at me grinning ear to ear. He had his pistol poking through a hole in the bottom of the wall into another room where his group was working. He earned a nickname that was well deserved.

I think we all really understood the importance of building and room searches. It was a great learning experience. Sgt. Parsons and his instructors taught us information that is so important for the rest of our careers. I hope we have the opportunity to train more using what we learned during this day. You can never get enough of something this important.

APO Amy Hoehner

APO Amy Hoehner Records A Podcast

If you have been reading in this category you know that we have been hearing from Apprentice Police Officer Amy Hoehner for the last several months as she discusses her Police Academy experiences.

She recently completed a Podcast interview. This format allows you to listen to or download the audio file on your computer and actually "hear" her.

Click the link below and enjoy:

http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2007/11/09/apo-amy-tpd-talks-9/

Mid-Terms

Week ten was actually a really good week. It was once again started with a lot of information. Gangs and informants was the agenda for the day and I think we were all looking forward to this block. The instructors lived up to my expectations. It makes it a lot easier to sit in a classroom for many hours when the instructors demonstrate they have a passion for what they do. The instructors that taught the informants and information block could have easily thrown up some power points and called it a day. Instead we were provided really useful information and they got the class involved. It is instructors like the ones we had this day that remind all of us how important our job is along with how much fun we can have doing it.

Typically Tuesday is a range day and a range day it was. But this day was night fire. Our hours were adjusted and we didn't have to report to the range until late afternoon. I would love to say that it was a lazy morning and it was a day to relax but in fact it was not.

Better yet, the class was fit for uniforms. Maybe to some reading this it isn't a big deal but it was to most of us. The academy is tough and sometimes it is really difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Putting on the uniform was a glimpse at the flicker of light.

The day just kept getting better. Night fire was a lot of fun. Of course when we got to the range the sun was out and it was business as usual. We shot our normal courses of fire with out handguns and shotguns. This was fun like it usually is but it only got better. The range staff set up a course that encompassed both shotgun and handgun. Not only was it just a shooting course but a lot of running and jumping.

After most of the class ran this course it was time to eat. Our class followed the tradition of previous classes and BBQ. This wasn't just burgers and dogs. The class pitched in money and made side dishes. The Fire Marshall in our class started smoking brisket, chicken, and bologna that morning. It is an understatement to describe the food as awesome.

OK now I'm stuffed and I had to make a comment about what was going to happen to my food once I walked back out onto the range. By this time it was dark and the flashlights came out. If I learned anything this night turn out the lights, throw the flashlight away, and there will be nothing but air in the middle of the target.

Tuesday night was one of the best academy days we have had thus far but Wednesday morning we struggled. I was up until 2:00 a.m. cleaning both guns that I had shot the night before. If you think we got to sleep in think again. We were information bright and early. On average most of us got anywhere from3-4 hours of sleep. It was a great testament to how little our brains function with no sleep.

Det. Russo taught Sex Crimes this same morning. Even with the class having no sleep and Det. Russo not feeling well he has been one of my favorite instructors. He was one of the instructors that was passionate about teaching us not only the mechanics of Sex Crimes but also put us in the shoes of the victim. Even with a one minute exercise it was really eye opening to see how uncomfortable it has to be for both the victim and the officer. The exercise consisted of pairing with a classmate, one being the interviewer and one being the interviewee. The interviewer has one minute to formulate questions to ask the interviewee regarding the intimate details of their last sexual encounter. After the minute was over Det. Russo said we did not have to actually ask or answer any questions but it truly made the point of how uncomfortable it is to be in both roles.

Because the schedule has changed so much recently I wasn't sure what the schedule had in store for us on Friday. I have to say the surprise was nice. Sgt. Eckert, who is our Range Master, was our instructor for the day. The class had been looking forward to this time with him and it came sooner than what we expected. I have spoken a lot about instructors having a passion for what they do. Sgt. Eckert is no exception to this. He is passionate, humble, and is really good at what he does. For someone who is new and in an environment to learn the basics he reminds us all what a great life we have ahead of us.

He could have taught underwater basket weaving this day and we would have been glued on every word. Instead Sgt. Eckert taught Introduction to Patrol and it was a great class. This is supposed to be the boring time with him so I cannot wait for the exciting classes. There is so much to learn from Sgt. Eckert personally and professionally.

Monday is actually the day we take our mid-term tests. The time has flown but we still have a little more than half way to go. We have had ten weeks of classes and I still don't feel like I know anything. I can only hope that when I graduate I know a little more than what I think I know.

APO Amy Hoehner