Jeff Humphrey, Media Content Coordinator, 509.625.6308
Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 3:53 p.m.
Nine people who want to become Spokane police officers are putting their minds and bodies through some pretty tough training; everything from getting pepper sprayed to keeping their emotions in check while watching a video of a toddler being abused. During the next four and a half months the Spokane police department is hosting one of the state’s basic law enforcement academies. Recruits from all over eastern Washington have to pass the Academy in order to become commissioned officers.
Some of the recruits already know what it means to serve and protect. About 30 percent of the recruits are former U.S. military. 29-year-old Patrick Linhart was a U.S Air Force military policeman. The Security Forces officer guarded troops and aviation assets around the globe. Now he wants to put those real-world skills to work in Spokane. “I believe my experience in the military dealing with crisis situations and pressure situations will help me profoundly in this job,” Linhart said.
The men and women have already endured extensive background checks, polygraph exams and physical fitness tests but now they have to prove they have the cool, calm, confidence needed to do their jobs when the unexpected happens.
If all goes well, the recruits from BLEA Class #760 will graduate from the academy on December 8th, but Linhart is just two weeks into a grueling, 18- week program. “It’s long days and hard work but at the end of the day I feel an incredible amount of job satisfaction. I feel I’m already making a difference and changing into a better person and I feel I’m learning a lot day by day.”
