Recruit James Collins checks his
shirt for lint or loose threads in
the barracks after a full day of
training at the Cape May County
Police Academy.
even the slightest bit sloppy might get tossed out in the hall by
one of the drill instructors conducting the daily inspection.
But if there is any part of the living quarters that provides respite, it is the bunk rooms. Camaraderie that has become the
foundation of the teamwork that is impressing the instructors
eight weeks in has formed in this room. Training Director Ted
Nagel says he will watch the group muster from his office window and see recruits checking each other for lint or other mishaps that can lead to a demerit.
“It’s not each man for himself anymore,” Nagel reveals. “Because they live in the barracks, they have been forced into an
environment where they have to learn how to get along, communicate and work with one another.”
Much of that seems to get solidified in the evenings. A small
group can often be found congregating, exchanging war stories
and getting to know each other. It’s what made Wagner feel that
if his mother, three sisters or his girlfriend were in trouble, “I
know I can count on every single person in this class.”
What happens in the bunk room is done by consensus, Recruit Anthony Millevoi from Upper Township reports. So if everybody wants to hang out and talk, they do. And they have created a system in which if one side of the room wants to stay up,
they can hang out there.
“But as soon as they say, ‘hey, guys,’ we’re all quiet,” Millevoi
adds. “And then once 10 p.m. hits, we’re all quiet. Unless it’s
been a rough day and we have done something stupid. Then
we’re all showered and ready to go to bed by 9.”
So what’s it like when you have that many cops in one room
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