CMPD recruits undergo intense physical, mental conditioning

Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz was there for conditioning sessions that happened three times a week at 7 a.m. at the police academy, preceding full days of classroom instruction and scenario work.

The workout sessions put recruits through relentless body-weight exercises, field drills and group runs through wooded areas. Instructors rotate leading the recruits through continuous sets and reps to induce physical fatigue, evaluating how each recruit manages stress.

Officer Greg Dunston and Officer Brittony Tucker are among the instructors leading Class 206 through the conditioning sessions. Tucker, a CMPD recruit trainer, detailed the intent behind putting recruits through rigorous exercises early in the academy.

“We just put them under a little bit of stress just to see where they’re at not only physically, but also mentally,” Tucker said.

Teamwork is a central requirement of the regimen, where recruits are instructed to link arms and complete group tasks together rather than working individually.

“We want to show that we’re a unit and where we expect them to be whenever they leave here,” Tucker said. “We want them to work as a team and we want them to eventually be able to bring each other up if they see somebody falling behind.”

Instructors stress that physical conditioning directly supports mental clarity during high-stress operational calls, including active shooter responses.

Discipline and strict timelines continue immediately after the physical workouts end. Recruits are given 15 minutes to shower, change into their ballistic vests and uniforms and report to an upstairs classroom. Recruits who fail to meet the deadline are written up before beginning a full day of classroom study and scenario training.

Sáenz will take you through upcoming academy training, which will take recruits inside real-life scenarios based on daily CMPD calls, teaching them tactical procedures to handle those situations.