The Academy is a reality television series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at police recruits of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Academy as they go through an 18-week training course to become deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...

. The program premiered in May 2007 on Fox Reality Channel

Fox Reality Channel

Fox Reality Channel was an all reality television channel available on cable and satellite television in the United States. It was launched on May 24, 2005 and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were previously on the Fox network...

 with class 355. As of fall 2007, the series is also aired on MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...

. There were 111 recruits to start out and 24 were separated. Separations occur when recruits fail make-up exams, simply decide to resign due to injury or by personal choice, or when the instructors feel the recruit shouldn't continue with training.

The lead drill instructor was Deputy Miley a.k.a "The Ramrod". Class 355 was mostly made of recruits for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...

, but there were recruits for other agencies as well such as the Los Angeles Port Police

Los Angeles Port Police

The Los Angeles Port Police is a specialized law enforcement agency at the Port of Los Angeles, under the control of the Los Angeles Harbor Department .-See also:* List of law enforcement agencies in California-External links:* *...

, Torrance Police Department

Torrance Police Department

The Torrance Police Department is the police department serving Torrance, California.The department employs 223 sworn officers and 124 civilians. The department is the largest law enforcement agency in South Bay, and is one of the largest police departments in Los Angeles County.Since October 2006,...

, Inglewood Police Department

Inglewood Police Department

The Inglewood Police Department is the police department serving Inglewood, California.The Inglewood Police Department has 300 employees including over 200 sworn personnel.The Department is separated into three offices which include:...

, Redondo Beach Police Department, and the Pomona Police Department. The finale for the first season was on Thursday, August 2, 2007.

Fox Reality started taping the second season of the show in early November 2007 at the STARS Center, the Los Angeles County Sheriff academy. The second season premiere aired on May 24, 2008, and the second season finale aired on July 26, 2008. The third season of The Academy, which premiered on October 24, 2009 provides a behind-the-scenes look at recruits of the Orange County Fire Authority

Orange County Fire Authority

The Orange County Fire Authority is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for unincorporated areas of Orange County, California and cities that contract OCFA's services....

, California.

Black Monday

An inside look at the training academy of the largest sheriff's department in the nation. For class 355 all hell is about to break loose on day one of the intense 18 week training process.

Separations:

• Martinez: Unfit for job (resigned)

Tighten Your Bootstraps

It's half way through the first week of the academy and Class 355 is about to learn that Los Angeles is one of the most dangerous counties in the country as they get their first introduction to defensive tactics.

My O'Miley

It's week two and Recruit Class 355 is already showing signs of weakness. Deputy Miley decides the class doesn't have what it takes, so he makes himself the class sergeant and the recruits pay dearly for their inability to work together.

Separations:

• Osorio: Improperly Entering the Doorway to the Staff Office (Separated)
• Gonzales: Physically unfit (resigned)

Hell is Coming to Breakfast

It's week three as one recruit defies direct orders and goes to Mexico over a weekend, which resulted in a physical altercation with a local gang. Meanwhile the rest of the recruits are given the privilege of wearing their uniforms for the first time, but that honor is short lived.

Separations:

• Benavides: Defied orders by going to Mexico, leading to an injury (Separated, returns to graduate with Class #368)
• Turner: Physically unfit (resigned, returns to graduate with Class #368)
• Cervantes: Academics – Failed remedial test on Use of Force (Separated)

Heart Stopping Action

Drama at the academy is at an all time high as two recruits have a heated dispute at the shooting range, while another recruit has a life-threatening issue during defensive tactics and is rushed to the hospital.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The recruits are sent to vehicles training where they learn to do quick driving maneuvers, skids and high speed pursuit chases. Some recruits start to get sloppy in their actions and The Ramrod lets them know that they are going to have to pay for it.

Separations:

• Kramer: Hospitalization for chest pain from defensive tactics/medical condition, was untruthful on his application and stated the scar on his chest (actually from a quintuple bypass surgery
  Coronary artery bypass surgery
  Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
  
  ) was from a motorcycle
  Motorcycle
  A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
  
   accident (separated)
• Mustelier: Academics – Failed remedial test on Laws of Arrest (separated, returns to graduate with Class #360)

Academy Fling

Love is in the air at the academy as two recruits are discovered to have had an ongoing romance while another takes a weekend off from studying to get married. The Ramrod, Deputy Miley pays an emotional visit to a former recruit who is severely battling cancer.

Separations:

• Meyer: Leg injury (resigned)

Back to Business

The Ramrod decides to throw a pop quiz on Class 355, but the surprise is on him when they can't answer one question correctly. The drill instructors take away all senior privileges and the class must go back to as if they were starting from day 1.

Separations:

• Contreras: Academics – Failed test on First Aid (separated)
• Mercado: Academics – Failed remedial test on First Aid (separated)

Coming Together

Class 355 starts to pull together as a group as graduation day approaches. However not everything is going to plan as an instructional boxing match goes awry when one of the recruits is rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening injury.

Separations:

• Agcaoli: Serious injuries, starting with a defensive tactics session, which led to a bleeding in the brain. Later had surgery after suffering a seizure
  Seizure
  An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
  
  .

Colors Run

Class 355 participates in a traditional run through cities in Los Angeles County to signify a right of passage and honor a fallen peace officer. For some recruits the pressure is getting to be too much as they struggle to qualify at the shooting range.

Separations:

• Green: Excessive Reports of Counseling (negative write-ups), negative feedback from fellow recruits; separated by Sgt. Wilkins (separated)
• Marin: Failed remedial test on Critical Role Scenarios (separated)

Graduation Day

Class 355 has been waiting 18 weeks for this day, but one recruit learns he will not be graduating. This day is a poignant yet emotional time for the recruits as they start to see the significance of the badge they will wear.

Separations:

• Beacham: Failed final exam (separated, returns to graduate with Class #360)

Season 2 (Class 368)

Class 368 is made of 115 recruits, including two who were separated from Class 355.

Another Black Monday

Deputy Miley and the other drill instructors are back to train Class 368. The LASD Staff has many new surprises planned for the first day of training, known as "Black Monday."

Separations:

• Frausto: Unprepared (resigned)

The Ultimatum

Recruit Paez struggles as the first class sergeant, and Deputy Miley gives her an ultimatum. Recruit Villareal finds himself in hot water when the drill instructors learn he went out to a club rather than studying.

Separations:

• Moreno: Unprepared (resigned)
• V. Banda: Physically unfit (resigned)
• R. Banda: Family issues, Sister resigned (resigned)
• Sheldon: Too much stress (resigned)
• Paez: Inability to give commands as class sergeant (resigned)

Soup Sandwich

Recruit Villareal is on the hot seat as the new class sergeant. Then he leaves his locker unlocked with his newly issued gun inside.

Trigger Happy

Class 368's first trip to the shooting range is a disaster when Recruit Valladares can't figure out how to shoot his weapon. Recruit Marquez, a recent cancer survivor, becomes violently ill and is sent to the hospital.

Separations:

• Valladares: Inability to handle a firearm, causing a safety hazard (separated)

On The Line

The staff confidently appoints Recruit Leos to the role of class sergeant, but the class doesn’t follow her lead.

Separations:

• Beidler: Academics-Failed remedial test (separated)

• Nunez: Academics – Failed remedial test (separated),
• Graduated from Rio Hondo Police Academy on 2-18-10, Class #193.

Command Presence

Recruit Santos is in a bind when she is appointed to the role as class sergeant, but can't lead the class. The recruits have a big argument while the drill instructors figure out how to get them to work better as a team.

A Fatal Mistake

A few careless recruits are in hot water after their weapons are stolen from their vehicle. Recruit Santos fights for her job as she struggles with all aspects of the training.

Separations:

• Santos: Not fit for the job, excessive negative peer reviews from recruits (separated by Sgt. Wilkins).
• Basurto : Academics – Failed remedial test on Weapons violations (Separated)

When The Smoke Clears

Class 368 has its final shooting test and endures a house filled with tear gas. Emotions are high at the “The Colors Run” ceremony, which is dedicated to the family of a fallen officer.

Separations:

• Wray: No call, No show more than once.

• Crum: Academics – Failed remedial test on First Aid and CPR (Separated)

The Uniform

Recruit Villareal continues to disappoint the drill instructors and Class 368. Recruit Turner and others face separation as they retake the final test...just days before graduation.

Pomp and Circumstance

Class 368 graduates from The Academy, and for the first time, the new deputies take to the streets the next day (Class 368 ends with 97 graduates out of 115).

Drill instructors

• Sgt. Mark Wilkins – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  
• Dep. Dwight Miley – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  , Industry Station – "The Ramrod".

Deputy Dwight Miley holds the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Medal of Valor, the highest honor of the Department, which was awarded June 21, 2000, "in consequence of your heroic actions on April 12, 1998, when you unselfishly placed yourself in immediate danger to save the lives of fellow deputies." Miley won this in association with six other deputies after Sgt. Dean Scoville was shot responding to a domestic dispute.

• Dep. Rene Garcia – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  , Norwalk Station
• Dep. Ray Jones – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  , Carson Station
• Dep. Sidra Sherrod – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  , Lennox Station
• Dep. Pete Enciso – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
  , East Los Angeles Station
• Ofcr. Jeremiah Hart – Torrance Police Department
  Torrance Police Department
  The Torrance Police Department is the police department serving Torrance, California.The department employs 223 sworn officers and 124 civilians. The department is the largest law enforcement agency in South Bay, and is one of the largest police departments in Los Angeles County.Since October 2006,...
  
   – Season 1
• Ofcr. Ryan Peterson – Torrance Police Department
  Torrance Police Department
  The Torrance Police Department is the police department serving Torrance, California.The department employs 223 sworn officers and 124 civilians. The department is the largest law enforcement agency in South Bay, and is one of the largest police departments in Los Angeles County.Since October 2006,...
  
  – Season 2

Season 3 (Orange County Fire Class 36)

Class 36 consists of recruits from various backgrounds, including EMTs, firefighters from other cities, a construction manager, dispatchers, a corporate vice president, and a former professional football player. The class started out with 28 recruits (the top one percent of all applicants). Through the entire 18 week program, four were released:

• Lefebvre (week 9): Failed remedial Mid-Term test, but still active with Orange County Fire Authority as a dispatcher
• Adelman (week 11): Failed remedial test
• Westphal (week 14): Repeated failure to follow directions and numerous safety concerns
• Kermott (week 17): Failed remedial Final test

External links

• Fox Reality Channel's "The Academy: Orange County Fire" Goes Behind-the-Scenes For the First Time to Capture a Recruit Class as It Endures 18-Weeks of Fire Academy Training
• "The Academy" – Fox Reality

References