Monday

It’s 430am and I’m sitting at MBS airport waiting for my flight to Detroit Metro. I have a 3 hour layover in Detroit. I saved my weekend homework for my layover. For my Essentials in Law Enforcement class I have to read over a leadership theory and describe strengths and weakness of the theory. These will be presented by our group tomorrow when classes start back up.

I got back to the base at 130. Seems pretty quiet here right now. I also noticed the base is at Code Blue status but I really can’t imagine why. It’s sunny and no snow or ice on the ground. Going to unpack and take a nap I believe. 0320 came very early this morning and I didn’t sleep much on the short flights.

I ended up napping for almost 3 hours. I hit the pool and put in a quick mile. It’s crazy how fast I knocked that one out with a few days rest. That’s 10 total miles now so I’m almost a third complete for the Blue Brick.

After my swim I had dinner and then headed back to the room. At 7 they are showing a documentary on police officer deaths however I think I’m gonna skip it and relax the rest of the night.

Classes start back up tomorrow at 730. On Wednesday we head to DC to the Law Enforcement Memorial.

Friday

Fell asleep early last night and we got to sleep in as the base was not opening until 9am due to the snow last night. We will only have one class now today which is Physical Fitness.

PT was tough today. Six rotating stations for 30 minutes. Included dragging weighted bags while on all fours, arms curls using bands, pull-ups, pushups, weighted step-ups and cardio.

After lunch I packed for my flight home and headed to the airport.

It will be nice to be home for a few days and I’ll be headed back to Quantico on Monday morning.

Thursday

Early to rise this morning. Today we have a full day of classes that includes a speaker for the entire session.

First thing this morning I had my Essentials for Law Enforcement Leaders class. Again it was a good round table discussion on the definition of and what a leader is. We also broke into 3 person groups for prep in a short leadership theory presentation we will give to the class on Tuesday. I’m grouped with Chris and Chris from Pennsylvania and Alabama.

My second class of the morning was Physical Fitness. We started in the classroom and talked about nutrition. Many of us quickly realized even though we think we are eating at least somewhat healthy…..we’re not.

When we got to the gym we went over the 10 stretches we are going to do each class. We then did our workout which consisted of the last 5 of the above using weights. My knees did not like this workout. Especially the one kneecap I broke in 2008.

After lunch the entire session was in the auditorium for a guest speaker.

Today’s speaker was Aaron Likens. Likens has Asperger’s Syndrome. He travels the country speaking about autism and also trains law enforcement agencies in responding to incidents involving persons with autism. It was very informational and all officers should be trained in this awareness.

My second class of the afternoon was Investigating Violent Crimes. Our instructor has been hammering home observation skills by showing pictures of homicide scenes and having as talk in detail about the scene and questions that we have and would want answered if we were investigating the case.

After class I hit the pool and then went to dinner. Afterwards I got my laundry done. I wanted to get that that taken care of as tomorrow we are done at 1130 for the day and I am flying home for the holiday weekend.

It started to snow around 8pm and the base was put on Code Blue meaning we are starting class at 930 tomorrow.

Wednesday

Slept in a little today as we only have our fitness challenge this morning. What was supposed to be a 1.7 mile run turned into 3 station circuit challenge in the gym with the entire session. We went 2.5 minutes at each station for about 30 minutes.

I took my phone into PT so I could get some video and photos of what we were doing.

We have section and individual photos in our business suits this afternoon. Luckily I had some time this morning to go off base and get a haircut. Other Michigan guys that have been to the NA in the past recommended Kim’s Barber Shop. I was a little worried about not having my normal barber cutting my hair. At Kim’s she did great just like at home. With the haircut you get a hot towel and neck shave. They also give you a 2 minute or so neck and shoulder massage with an automatic massager. 👍

Police patches on the wall at Kim’s Barber Shop.

After lunch we got dressed in our suits and met in our section home rooms for a quick meeting. We then went to the auditorium for our individual and section group photos.

We got an extra roommate photo in.

After photos I got a swim in (another mile) and then went to dinner.

The rest of the night was department patch/coin/pin night. All the officers in the session met in the atrium to exchange any department memorabilia that they may have brought.

It was a pretty physical day and I am very tired and a little sore tonight.

Tuesday

The base is in Code Blue today meaning we started 1 hour late. All classes were bumped back 1 hour.

I started the day with PT. She worked our upper bodies with a core workout. Our instructor said she was saving our lower body for the fitness challenge tomorrow which is. 1.7 mile run. It was a good workout and I’m exhausted. .

My roommate likes to bring his phone to PT class.

My second class for the day is Employment Law Issues. We started getting into labor laws which will be interesting. I also received my materials for my court case review presentation. My case is on a lawsuit brought on by a police officer against his department for discrimination.

In the afternoon I started with my Violent Crimes investigation class. We had a presenter from the FBI ViCap program. She talked about the Highway Serial Killings initiative. In short it’s a database that police agencies enter information into the FBI database when homicide victims are found along highways. The database keeps tally of the data from killings around the country and searches for similar circumstances.

My second class was Behavioral Science for Leaders. Today was an open discussion on perception and the behavioral characteristics of people.

After dinner I swam another mile in the pool. That’s 7 miles down out of 34.

We also received notice that our 1.7 mile challenge run was canceled due to spot ice on the roadways. Apparently the instructors are putting together some other fitness challenge that will be done in the gym.

Also today I finally broke down and called maintenance regarding our room. It has been absolutely freezing in here. Last night I sept with blankets over my head to keep the heat in. Needless to say now I’m sitting here in a t-shirt and Steve now thinks it’s too hot in here. Haha

Monday

Last night around 10pm we got an email stating classes were canceled for today due to the weather and the instructors not being able to drive in.

I got up this morning and had a light breakfast.

I drank my coffee and took a walk outside to take some photos of the entrance area to the academy.

Me and one of the LA guys hit the pool at 10am for a mile swim. After the mile we talked about putting in another mile tonight but ultimately just knocked out two miles this morning. It was a tough two miles and now I’m tired and starving.

Lunch was great. Roast beef, shrimp gumbo with potatoes and carrots. As far as the food here breakfast is pretty much the same every day but lunch and dinner is usually a different variety every night.

After lunch I went to my room and finished and submitted a few assignments for my Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement class.

I took another walk around inside and outside the facility and got some more photos. I went outside and found my way to Hogan’s Alley. It is a small couple block town built by the FBI for training purposes.

After dinner a group of us went off base. For those that didn’t eat we went to a Japanese restaurant and then went over to a bowling alley and met up with some of the other NA students.

Sunday

After today we will have our first week in here at the academy. This morning I was surprised when I woke up at 9am. I went down to the cafe and had breakfast.

After I ate I walked down and took a look outside and found that we got about 3-4 inches of snow last night. The base here to include the academy is in Code Red status. If it is like that tomorrow we will not have classes as our instructors won’t be coming in to work. I’m amused by this because at home this wouldn’t be much of a storm. On my way back to the room I saw an officer from the southern US and one from Vietnam headed out to check out the snow.

I spent the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon typing a paper for my Violent Crimes class. I then went to the pool and put in another mile.

After my swim I went back to the room and relaxed while watching the Patriots/Chargers game.

We headed to dinner around 5. Ended up eating with another guy from the L.A. County district attorneys office and an officer from Iceland. Talked a lot of hunting with him and all the species that they hunt. This included reindeer and seals. Also talked with him about issues in their country. They all get free healthcare and education. However he said the issue with free healthcare it can take many months just to have a surgery done. This included any work related injuries.

With all the news since we have been here about police officers being killed here he said that only 2 officers have died in the line of duty in the history of the their entire country and both died in vehicle accidents.

We talked about gun ownership in his country and the only guns allowed are hunting rifles or shotguns. Handguns are not allowed for most citizens.

It was a very interesting conversation to say the least.

The rest of the night I relaxed in the room. We will see if we will have classes tomorrow. The base is still in Code Red.

Saturday

Woke up this morning around 730 and headed down to have some coffee in the cafeteria. Sat down with Dave Kok from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and caught up on our week and plans for our first day off. I’d imagine a lot of guys will be watching the NFL games today at the Boardroom Bar.

I took a walk around the facility and finally was able to get some more pictures to post. The CafeteriaConditions at the base. It may be down in Code Red by the end of tomorrow due to the snow coming.

Below is a wall timeline of the history of the FBI

The FBI library. It consists of three floors.

Photos from down at the Physical Training Unit.

Memorials

Former FBI Directors

Steve and I went off base for lunch and then we met up with some other guys in Fredericksburg,VA. We visited the Civil War Union cemetery where 15,300 Union soldiers are buried from the Battle of Fredericksburg. Most are unidentified.

My California roommate can’t hang in the 36 degree weather.

Here are some photos from our PT class that I didn’t post the other day.

Photos from the awesome 26 degree mile run.

When we got back from Fredericksburg we had dinner at the cafeteria and then watched the NFL games.

Friday

I woke up this morning at 6am. I must say I slept much better last night.

First thing this morning I had my Essentials class. It was a great group discussion on the current issues facing law enforcement and our perception and relationship with the public. Hearing about issues from my fellow colleagues in class made me realize how lucky we are in Saginaw County on this topic.

My second class of the morning was Physical Training. We first met in the classroom and went over what to expect over the class. We also learned about the weekly physical challenges that are every Wednesday. Students must participate in the weekly challenges to be able run the Yellow Brick Road later in the session.

Our workout today consisted of a warmup that included stretching exercises, jogging across the gym and inchworms with pushups. The workout consisted of rotating stations of ball slam, box squats, inchworms with pushups, cycling/treadmill/or rowing, band stretches and rope pull ups.

This afternoon the whole session met in the auditorium for a guest speaker. The speaker was retired Sgt. Greg Stube. He was a Green Beret and was severely wounded in Afghanistan by an IED and was also shot. He talked about leadership and team building.

My second class this afternoon was my Investigative Violent Crimes class. We had a presentation from the FBI crime lab and how they can help local police agencies.

We got out a little earlier so I went and did a mile swim. If I log 34 miles over the 10 weeks I will come home with the Blue Brick.

After dinner I went off the base for a few things that I needed. When I got back I did laundry and finished one of my Power Points.

We are supposed to get a lot of snow this weekend. Not sure yet what I will be doing this weekend. We were told it does not take much snow to shut the base down.

Thursday

Last night after dinner I came up to my room and ended up spending the rest of the night working on class work. I finished a narrative for a presentation I will have to give in my Behavioral Science class. The presentation will be a PowerPoint on a homicide of a women I investigated way back in 2011. My goal with this is to show the mind and behavior of the suspect in that case leading up to the homicide. I also finished a paper last night for the same class. The paper was based on the biggest challenge I have had in my lifetime.

This morning I woke up at 5am again but managed to fall back asleep until 6am. After a light breakfast we headed to the gym for PT class. We did some body measurements and stretch tests. We then went outside to the track and ran our timed mile. It was 26 degrees and 20 mph winds. In other words it was not fun. I passed as well as most of the section. We will be tested again on the mile run during week 8 and if we pass we will be able to run the “Yellow Brick Road” in week 9 or 10.

My second class this morning was Employment Law Issues. The material is somewhat dry right now but will get better when we get into Labor Law.

After lunch I had Investigative Strategies for Violent Crime. This is going to be a great class.

I also had my Behavioral Science class this afternoon. We watched video and some of the students were picked to tell a story about themselves and we had to determine if they were lying or being truthful.

After dinner I came back to the room and finished another assignment. I then swam a mile in the pool.

I finished the night off with a beer at the Boardroom bar. (Yes the FBI training academy has a bar in the building.)