My uncle, Bill, was a deputy sheriff since I was a young boy, until around the age of 14. When I was 14, he began serving only as a part time deputy and focused on more pastoral work. When he told me about being an officer, I knew then that it was what I wanted to do. Although at that time I was too young for to ride along, I spent some of my 2013 summer riding along with officers, state patrol and speaking with detectives.

Before I rode with the Fort Dodge Police Department, Chief Tim Carmody wanted to visit with me. We set a date and I met with him in his office. He asked why I had wanted to become a police officer and what in particular I wanted to know more about being a police officer. He also asked me what I had planned to do after high school. Was the academy an immediate transition for me, or was a couple of years of college in the planning?

While I was unsure of what I had wanted to do, he mentioned that if I ever did want to become a special agent with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) or DCI (Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation), I would need a minimum of a four year college degree, plus experience in learning and speaking a second language.


After much thought, I thought college may not be the best for me, but rather try to be hired by the department right out of high school, and then pass the physical agility test with the department to go straight to the academy without college experience. If I can not manage to be prepared enough to join right out of high school, I have also thought about joining the criminal justice classes through Iowa Central. Many of the police officers on the Fort Dodge Police force have gone through the criminal justice classes through Iowa Central in Fort Dodge.

My biggest concern about the police academy is the physical agility test. Although many officers that enter the academy say it is not that bad, I am not physically fit, so it is a process that I should begin my senior year. Part of the test include running a mile and a half, doing push-ups, pull-ups and various other tests. If I could not pass the physical agility test with the Fort Dodge Police Department, I would then receive the opportunity to re-test first thing when I got to the academy in Des Moines.
During the final week of the academy, a requirement is that everyone should run 6 miles without stopping. I wasn’t sure what to say when I heard that.

When I spoke with other officers about the academy, they said 14 week academy is one of the most stressful parts of their life so far, but they said parts of the academy were well worth it. I spoke with a female officer that had just finished the academy and she said that I would learn much more actually working in the field, which is why the Fort Dodge Police Department has the initial training that they offer.

Once I return from the academy, Chief Carmody said that I would be assigned to ride with an officer from the night shift for several weeks, and then with an officer from the day shift for another several weeks. Once those assignments were done, I would have to shadow the detectives in the criminal investigations unit. Chief Carmody said once those three assignments were done, I would be ready to hit the road by myself.

I look forward to doing more ride alongs in the near future and learning more about the hiring process and procedures with the various police departments around the state. Although the job is rewarding, there are also many difficult tasks that it takes to become a sworn police officer. I plan to work hard my senior year to pass the physical agility test and to become a smart and educated police officer.