Topic: Health & Wellness / Physical Conditioning?

What is DR&C???

Update:

If you cannot run, jog at a slow pace. Jog slower than a walk if you have to, but push the hell out of yourself to not stop. Not stopping seems to be the key, along with focusing on your breath. I started out doing “one one” inhale counts through the nose and “two two” exhale through mouth rhythmic breathing. An old friend who ran told me that rhythmic breathing is best… well…. not for me. It mimicked hyperventilation cause my ability to keep rhythm apparently blows, and that’s why I almost died.

What I changed that worked, is forcing a slow long continuous inhale through the nose, and a slow long continuous exhale out the mouth. No rhythm or science to it. As you go it will shorten itself, but keep focusing on keeping it long and deep. It fixed me! Not bullshitting around! I ran a mile and a half without stopping with no chest pains. Three months prior and just prior to changing the breathing, I felt like I was gonna pass out jogging a half mile.

I’m about to start again, asap. I’ve done nothing the last month. I’ve been decompressing and tweaking about field training. Time to start running again :)

Topic: Health & Wellness / Physical Conditioning?

Hey I know this is an old topic. I just wanted to contribute since I am going through this right now in Fl. Every agency is different, but mine is a little lax on physical requirements. The CERT team does regular training, but the other officers don’t get much. The agency does instruct in DT in their own way when you’re new though. Many of the officers that have been there a while are very very big. I honestly cannot imagine them running at all.

As far as the academy I’m attending, we have either two hours of PT twice a week or one hour every day. It’s cross-fit. Lots of push-ups, sit ups, squats and running. We had to do a mile and a half Indian run the other day (running in formation taking turns sprinting from back to front). I’ve always thought I was in pretty good shape… I’m 5’4" and weigh 135lbs, and have stayed active up until about a year ago when I got in a relationship and lazy. Not blaming the relationship! I know it’s my fault! Running has always been my major weakness and I’ve avoided it since high school like the plague, cause I’ve always been so embarrassed. I get winded so easy. I can dance for hours, do yoga for hours, or whatever, but running just whoops my ass. Needless to say, the Indian run about killed me, but I did it, barely… and I wanted to die I was so embarrassed. I don’t like being the weakest in a group at anything. I do fine with all the other exercise, it’s just my breathing with the running. I feel like I’m gonna pass out, even when I get the rhythmic breathing going. Running sucks.

SOOOO…. my best advice to anyone worrying about physical training. Start cross-fit, focus on push-ups, sit-ups, squats, a little weight training, and for gawds sake RUN! Get your endurance up. It takes time to build endurance and the academy doesn’t give much time. A classmate suggested an app called Couch to 5k or something like that and it looks good and is free. It’s interval training… the interval training supposedly builds endurance the fastest.

Hope that helps, and pray for me lol

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

Thank you. I appreciate that advice. In my class, there are so many other females with a badass complex. I’m trying to avoid that. I like them they are cool people regardless of that. I am confident in my abilities though. I don’t have to prove anything by acting like an ass.

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

Oh and no worries about the bitch comment that the corporal made. I know what she means. If someone crosses the line, shut em’ down and be firm. It really takes so much for a coworker to piss me off though. I’m not worried about that with flirting and such, as long as no one tried to set me up for termination over spilled milk, puts me in a dangerous situation cause they think it’s funny… serious stuff like that.

My first day that Seargant said, "Now let me make something clear. We do not have sexual harassment around here. We call it, “morale boosting.”

I about died laughing. I honestly laughed almost the whole day at while I was at booking that day.

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

Guys, THANK YOU!!! I didn’t respond. It took a while. I’ve been so busy, but I got the job!

I really needed this. In my career, financial and geographic location situation I had nowhere else to turn other than this. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been thinking about this career for a long long time, but I waited and waited till I put myself in a desperate situation, and then as you can see, psyched myself all the hell out over getting it.

The staff is cool as hell. The Captain that hit me right between the eyes and tried his damnedest to intimidate me, was pretty much doing that to test me. The Seargent that made the pretty girls comment, is the jail clown and flirt. He goofs around and messes with everyone equally. Attention really doesn’t bother me -not that I’m seeking it by any means, but I’ll clown around when it’s cool to clown.

I’m a month through the academy. I have an awesome class and an awesome instructor.

The agency isn’t having is start field training until we pass the exam so I’m on nights one shift every other weekend. I get to go in the blocks and work with the women and trustees, with another officer of course. All good so far. I’m taking the, “stay suspicious, come in strong and I can get softer later, you don’t aggravate me and I won’t aggravate you” approach. I really like one thing the instructor said: “You are not there to punish the inmates. The jail and the time does that.” I’m going to make sure that stance is clear. Our purpose is care custody and control… firm fair consistent. I have heard the officers I’ve been with say that many times to the inmates. “No ma’am. We have to be consistent.” Or “No Sir. We are going to be fair.”

I really feel like I’m in a great place with great people. They have good rapport with the inmates in general. Most of them treat them like humans, but they don’t take any **** either.

I’ll make other topics as things come up. Thanks again!

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

Hey guys, I’m fishing for some insight here. I know everywhere is different. I’m in South Florida. I just had my first interview for Correction at a local county jail. They honestly caught me off guard. The whole thing revolved around “Why do you want to be here, you do not belong here” kind of vibe. It was my fault. I did my best to not be nervous and especially convey nervousness but interviews always get me a little. The Captain cut me off a few times as well. I’m so very much a mutt of a girl. I read, I write, I dance, I practice yoga, I’m an artist, I volunteer at animal shelters, I can speak in Queens English… but I have also practiced combative full contact martial arts for the last 6 years off and on, I hike, I hunt snakes, I salt water fish, I’m covered in tattoos (all able to be hid, I can be ghetto, vulgar, rough around the edges, or one of the dudes. I don’t feel like I portrayed that side of me well enough, cause especially in an interview, I was more reserved, naturally.

He asked me over and over why? Why do you want to be around these people? You will meet unsavory characters. These are not refined artistic people… I simply explained that I have a leather hide and I feel that I will be good at the job due to my previous experience and skills at handling people in general. I also explained I may change my Major and pursue Psychology with a concentration in criminal justice. That didn’t seem to be the right thing to say either, as he pointed out that it’s a small facility and counseling is a very small part of the job. He seemed concerned about hands on too, towards the end. That’s when i tried to kick it up and explained, I know break falls, I’ve done body toughening, I’ve been tackled and backhanded so hard it knocked me off my feet, etc and none bothered me. I am confident that I can be trained in “their way” and handle it.

At that point, they warmed up a little. The remainder of the end of the interview seemed good, and they offered me a tour of the jail. The lieutenant that showed me around was cool. Very warm. Then, when we were in a pod, he started whispering with the other officer and I heard them say, “yeah we won’t see her again. I can’t believe they even let her go on a tour.” This jacked up my concern and when we walked out I asked what that was about, in a nice way you know. He said, “They never hire pretty girls, ever.” I responded and laughed and said, “I knew I should have not worn any makeup at all!” He said, “Well it’s not the makeup.” I asked, “Do you think they see attractiveness as a safety hazard with the inmates?” His response was, “Well not with the inmates.” So I said, “Ohhhh…..” and that’s when I shifted gears drastically. I said, “I understand. Women can be incredibly sensitive, vindictive and malicious. I am absolutely not like that. Nothing bothers me. A coworker has to do something incredibly malicious to bother me. Like put your forearm on my throat, slam me against the wall and grab me.” He said, “but that is exactly what we’ll do during training, and you’ll do the same to me.” I said “No no that’s fine. I mean, to bother me you’d have to do that and stick your hand down my pants you know. That’s no good. That’s what it takes to make me uncomfortable. Nothing else bothers me and I’ll tell you… I don’t bamboozle people I don’t mess with peoples livelihood….” There’s a woman I currently work with in my current job, who is a sexual harassment case waiting to happen. She’s manipulative, vindictive, malicious as hell and pretty. The company wants her gone but they can’t let her go because they are scared of her.

My goal was trying to say, “You are safe with me. The guys here are safe with me. You are not going to piss me off or make me uncomfortable unless you do something extreme.”

I’m worried cause I was caught off guard by having to portray that side of myself. I may have said the wrong things and might have been misunderstood or not made sense to the guy. I feel like this kind of character I have makes me a unique female, really. I’m viciously protective of my coworkers/team, even the bad apples. I can be soft or I can be brutal. I can dress in a suit and talk nice or I can rumble and talk trash all day. I understand mens concern with women in general, and these guys don’t know me.

I’m praying for a second interview so I can better prepare myself to address any concerns, again. In the mean time…

Has anyone had any experience with “pretty girls” as officers in the system? Do you feel it creates any hazards amongst the inmates or other officers?