In the barracks with
Andrew Peahota
This latest episode of Police
Academy Cape May County
finds Recruit Peahota enjoying what he does most nights.
“Drinking some protein,”
he shares. “A lot of protein.
Sometimes, you don’t refuel
enough throughout the day,
so an extra helping never
hurts.”
He says he is also enjoying
life in the barracks where he
considers time to iron his
uniform, polish his shoes
and catch up on notes a nice
break. But not too nice.
“You can relax, but you
don’t want to get too easy and
get sloppy,” he adds. “Keep
it clean, nice and neat. And
if you need to help someone
out, make sure everyone’s on
the same page.” d
NIGHT SHIFT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
“The barracks have a certain smell you are going to remember the rest of your life,” muses Recruit Glenn Wagner from
Sayreville. “Eyes closed, you can walk in and know exactly
where you are.”
Speaking of smells, another aspect that contributes to the
character, but also the teamwork, centers around the toilets.
With three toilets on the men’s side, the recruits had to devise a
system so nobody is left without a seat when their music starts.
“We leave the first toilet open for number one, and the next
two for number two,” Wagner quips again. “And it’s basically,
you’re in, you’re out. It’s not like there is time for you to be in
there on your phone like at home. You’re in for your business
and you get out.”
Make no mistake, though, this place reeks of demand for
maximum efficiency and impeccability. All recruits must sign
in upon entering at the front desk where the duty officer keeps
the log and a report of all activities for that day. That duty officer
has to spend the night in a room off the front desk which has a
television that doesn’t work and a phone.
It does not appear to be conducive to the good night’s sleep
that is needed to meet the demands of the next day. Recruit
John Garth from Egg Harbor City is tonight’s duty officer, but he
does not seem to be worried.
“The only thing that can go on in there is a telephone ring,”
Garth confides, “and if I need to answer in the middle of the
night, I will hear it.”
Across the front hall from the duty desk is the room that offers what amounts to leisure time in this academy. The computer center includes maybe a dozen desktop units where recruits
can type up notes and the reports they have to file with the
agencies that have sent them. From the time they finish dinner
until about 8 p.m., they might congregate here. But they don’t
loiter here; there is no internet.
54
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ NOVEMBER 2016
Each night in the barracks, recruits do their
reports and look over their notes in the
computer room.
“It gives us time to relax a little bit,” Garth continues. “Not too
much, but enough where we can focus on what we have to get
done for the next day. It’s not downtime so much; just time to
focus without many distractions.”
Down the hall to the right, past the toilets, around to the left
and beyond the washers and dryers is the “rec room.” There is a
small kitchen where some recruits have stocked healthy snacks,
but no ping pong or pool tables. There is an ironing board, and
Recruit Thomas Stout is busy smoothing on one of the five pairs
of khaki uniform pants each person must have.
Stout’s strategy is attention to detail, fulfilling the prophecy
here that if you are able to do the little things right, that will lead
to getting the big things right.
“Just take your time, and if you see a wrinkle, get it out as
soon as possible,” explains Stout, who is an Alternate Route
candidate, meaning he has not been hired yet and hopes that
every right move can get him closer to that job. “You have to
have the same intensity in here as the rest of the day because
you never know when the drill instructors are going to pop in.”
The routine suggests ironing before shining shoes because,
well, imagine if you have shoe polish on your hands when you
lay out a pair of clean pants on the board. Wagner demonstrates
the proper shining technique with small circles that require at
least an hour to do both shoes. He has a benchmark for knowing when they are properly shined.
“When you think they are good, do one more round,” he submits.
The shining usually takes place on the tables off the kitchen,
where recruits can often be found in pairs or groups polishing
and studying. On this night, Wagner’s shining partner is Collins,
whose experience tells him how to achieve the perfectly shined
shoe.
“When I see Wagner’s, and realize mine are better than his,”
Collins deadpans. “But then you just keep going. You almost
want to see yourself in your shoes.”
A load of Bunk
Collins didn’t have as much strategy when he first arrived
and had to make up his rack, as the bunks are called. He shared
that he went home after the first week – recruits only sleep on
campus Monday through Friday – and watched videos online
about how to make proper hospital corners that are the mark of
properly kept bedding.
He is one of 24 male recruits who sleep in the big room that
is down the back hall from the kitchen, around to the left and
up the stairs. Every recruit gets a stack of five cubbies to stow
their gear and a hook to hang their uniforms. It is everybody’s
responsibility to make sure every uniform hangs flawlessly and
every piece of clothing is folded immaculately. A rack that is