(Beaver Dam) After graduating college, Officer Megan Ruhland was hired by the Beaver Dam Police Department in May of 2022. Once she was brought on board, it was off to the police academy and field training. Ruhland says the academy came first.
“For me it was a little bit different,” Ruhland says “So I didn’t have the academy. Some of the officers are lateral transfers and then they would go straight into field training. For me, I had to go to the academy.”
Ruhland says the academy was about 720 hours, which is approximately 18 weeks. She adds that it took up the bulk of her day.
“It was Monday through Friday, 8am to either 4:30 or 5:30 depending on the day.”
The most challenging part of the academy according to Ruhland was the academy itself because the learning went beyond the classroom.
“You also had the physical aspect of like you’re doing fitness twice a week to make sure that you can pass an exam fitness-wise,” says Ruhland.
Ruhland adds that there was also scenario-based training, firearm training, and defensive and arrest tactics training. The academy started last June and concluded with a graduation ceremony in October, which Ruhland says was an exciting day.
“I didn’t expect that,” she says. “I felt like it was just like ‘hey, here’s your certificate, but it was more or less like a huge deal.”
The huge deal that Ruhland is referring to is that the academy made a presentation of all the graduates family members who witnessed their son or daughter complete the academy. In our next story, we will be highlighting Officer Ruhland’s experiences in field training.
BDPD Rookie Series 3: Police Academy
