The mission of the Arizona Department of Public Safety is to enforce state laws and deter criminal activity while protecting human life and property these brave men and women helped to ensure our state is as safe as possible and oftentimes it's their training that saves lives the training they receive at the Arizona law Enforcement Academy Oralia located at the base of South Mountain in Phoenix Ilia instructs recruit officers from all agencies providing the basic field and classroom knowledge the students will take to the streets these DPS officers have recently completed their training at alia and each had a different experience of what the 19 week process was like beginning with the first day is pretty stressful it seemed to fit for the most part what I expected it was challenging demanding but it was rewarding as well I kind of knew what to expect at the same time I was like whoa it was a reality check you know just like wow this is gonna be a tough 19 weeks and I opened in the first day to see how things are gonna be you're gonna have to be on the ball go get it Williams a major component of the training is physical fitness a typical cadet once again in the Academy as mentioned before is they will have to encounter several physical fitness tests in the first week or two it's very important that people that apply for police officer job even here at DPS or regardless of where they choose to work is its importance of being physically fit before they get here to the Academy I don't think I ran farther than two miles prior to the Academy and I realize now looking back that I probably should have pushed it a little harder I don't think I realized how long the runs could be physical fitness testing that most agencies do before somebody is hired is one of the many screening tools that they use to weed out if you will individuals who don't have some level of physical fitness whatever your level of physical fitness is assuming that you are able to pass the minimum standards for an agency when you get here you will be challenged you will be tested and you will be expected to improve another aspect of the training that will be challenging for some cadets is firearms they're required to qualify with their weapons at least once here in the Academy they also required twice a year for Arizona post rules our certification body they have to qualify twice a year with their service handgun which is what they're shooting today we'd rather have them make all of their mistakes and learning opportunities here unlearn any bad habits they have here while they're in their training under the tutelage of the instructors here make sure you have good judgment so that you know when it's time tapping into the vast experience of the skilled instructors at Aliyah allows cadets to be prepared for the real-life scenarios they may face once they become officers with any training if you find yourself under high level of stress for example out on the street and you find yourself...
