Fall 08
Vol. 13 No. 4

HPD cadet goes back to school

HPD cadet Anne-Marie Pearson practices firing a handgun during cadet training. Pearson is one of 60 cadets in Class 193.

Story and photos by Dave Schafer

This is the second in a series of stories following HPD cadet Anne-Marie Pearson through the police academy.

Among tomorrow’s police officers, the blue ribbon, one-inch wide, one-half inch tall, and framed with gold, is a mark of accomplishment. Cadet Ann-Marie Pearson wears it above the left breast pocket on her white polyester shirt.

She earned the ribbon and later the gold star pinned in the middle for scoring the highest marks on two tests. Both times she tied Eduardo Martinez, who also got the highest score on a third test.

“I’ve always done well academically,” said Pearson, who hadn’t been in a classroom in 20 years. Pearson, 42, signed up for the academy 10 years after giving up her dream of being a police officer. (See the Summer ’07 City Savvy.) “It wasn’t the academics that worried me. It was the physical demands.”

Once or twice a week, she and the other 59 remaining members of Class 193 run or do circuit training. But the first 11 weeks of the academy is about sitting in a classroom learning the penal and family code, some Spanish, about family violence, properties of illegal drugs, how to fill out reports, and more.

“The classroom learning is the basis for everything we do,” said Officer Durrell Dickins.

“You can’t teach them how to shoot until you teach them when to shoot.”

Saturating their minds
“The academy is stringent,” said Lt. David Fausek, who took charge of cadet training in July. “The information we teach in 28 weeks would take several college semesters.”

Pearson had no idea officers went through all this.

“The instructors are up there vomiting information, and you just hope to catch it all,” she said. “It’s overwhelming at points. My mind is just saturated when I get home.”

After the nine-hour days, she has at least another hour of organizing her notes and getting her uniform ready. Then there’s studying for tests.

“I’ve spent all day Sunday studying, with just a few mental breaks,” Pearson said. “This isn’t like having a nine-to-five job.”

Pearson’s housework gets shoved to the weekends, claiming chunks of her free time. In he back of her mind, she knows it’s only temporary – the class graduates Jan. 9 – but “sometimes it’s hard to remember that.”

Much of the academy material is common sense, she said.

The instructors make sure those who want to learn and improve do, Pearson said.

Out of her seat, on her feet
Skills training began in week 12. That will give insight into the cadets’ capability, Fausek said.

“I’ve enjoyed the classroom learning, but I’m looking forward to doing something other than sitting in the classroom eight hours a day,” Pearson said. “I know books, but I don’t know how to shoot, handcuff or pursuit drive.”

Classroom learning isn’t over. Skills training is text-based, and the cadets return to the classroom after skills training to learn more laws and procedures.

“Everything will start to fall into place then,” Pearson said. “The last part of the academy is learning how to put all of the pieces together.

“It should be very interesting.”

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