On September 18th, a group of 10 FSU students visited the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy. Larry Bourdeau, the Law Enforcement Instructional Coordinator, greeted the students and led them across the campus to the classrooms. While in the classroom, Director of Certificate Programs Bill Bierbaum discussed the foundation of the academy and the different aspects of law enforcement that recruits cover in their classroom instruction. Students were able to ask questions and watch a video made by a previous recruit class that followed the class throughout their training.
The students were also given a tour of the entire campus which highlighted areas such as the driving range, tactical defense training, underwater crime scene, and firearms training. The current Basic Recruitment Class was undergoing firearms exercise training during the tour. During the exercise, recruits train one-on-one with an instructor through a course that tests their ability to quickly recognize individuals who pose a threat compared to those who were there to help. After watching the firearms training, students were able to tour the areas where recruits are tested on their ability to safely investigate and secure different building formats while rescuing victims. Students enjoyed getting a first hand look at life in the academy as many of them were preparing to apply for internships at Pat Thomas.
For more information on how you can apply to the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy internship, contact the Criminology Internship Coordinator.