The Madison Police Department is proud to announce and celebrate the graduation exercises for the 56th Pre-Service Academy.
 
Consistent with previous classes, this year’s group of Recruits is highly diverse in terms of life, work and educational experience.   A snapshot profile reflects an average age of “28” and all but four have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.  Some of the life experiences of these Recruits include:  military service, fitness instructor, retail, security, teaching, community service, job coach, legal field, truck driver, a USA Hockey referee and a baker!  These individuals come from the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Washington, California, Arizona and Ohio.  Before beginning their training, the “candidates” competed against a pool of nearly 1400 applicants!
 
These officers began a nine-month training regimen when they first took the oath of office on October 14th, 2013.  Nearly six months of training was provided in a host of areas including unified tactics (which is comprised of professional communication, defense and arrest tactics, firearms, emergency vehicle operation and vehicle contacts).  Additionally, MPD prides itself on augmenting State curriculum with extended blocks on relational skills, Constitutional law, investigations, response to individuals in crisis, trust-based community policing, ethics and problem solving.
 
For the past three months, the Recruits have been paired with veteran Field Training Officers who have been coaching and mentoring them to help take the “lessons learned” from the Academy and translating them to the realities encountered on the streets.  These new officers will be working their first “solo” assignment on Saturday, June 28th, for the Rhythm & Booms event.  Beginning on Sunday, June 29th, these officers will be assigned to Patrol Services working in one of the Department’s five district stations on afternoons and nights. 
 
The graduation will take place at the Monona Terrace beginning at 6:00P (One John Nolen Drive).  The class has chosen veteran police officer and training specialist Susan Carnell to deliver their commencement address.  Officer Carnell has served as a Training Officer for nearly three years and has been a member of the Madison Police Department for over 24 years.