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LAPD Blues: Police Recruits Face Tough Training, Tougher Reality
<p>A <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-c1-recruits-20140220-dto,0,2259151.htmlstory#axzz2tt7SjlqU">three-year-long project by the Los Angeles Times</a> reveals no amount of training could have prepared recruits for the realities of the job.</p>
Los Angeles Police recruit Clay Bell adjusts his hat while preparing for a badge ceremony at the LAPD Elysian Park training academy on Oct. 8, 2010 in Los Angeles.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Police recruit Clay Bell, above, adjusts his hat while preparing for a badge ceremony at the LAPD Elysian Park training academy on Oct. 8, 2010, in Los Angeles, Calif.
In May of 2010, Bell was one of 46 recruits who entered the academy, enduring six months of intense mental and physical pressure meant to prepare them for their work on the streets.
However, as a three-year-long project by the Los Angeles Times documents, no amount of testing or training could have prepared those recruits who would make it to become new officers for the realities of the job.
Los Angeles Police recruits Chris Montague, left, and Clay Bell, right, hold Vanessa Lopez as her body is shocked with taser voltage at the LAPD Davis Training Facility on July 29, 2010, in Granada Hills, Calif. All recruits get to see what it's like to be tased, as they may have to use a taser during their careers.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Police recruits practice shooting scenarios with paintball guns at the LAPD Davis Training Facility on Sept. 30, 2010, in Granada Hills.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles TimesMembers of the 5-10 Los Angeles Police Department recruit class line up for graduation at the LAPD training academy in Elysian Park on, Nov. 5, 2010, in Los Angeles. The class began in May with 46 recruits, but at the end of their training, only 30 would graduate.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
