BRYAN, Texas — The road to becoming a police officer isn't always clear.
Sometimes, it takes some readjusting to get a better view.
Police academy instructor Alexander Gonzales says he initially moved to the Bryan area for the oilfield. When that didn't work out, he had to look elsewhere.
“I did a ride along here with Bryan PD," Gonzales said.
"After that I was pretty much hooked — I knew I wanted to work for them.”
Just three years ago, Gonzales was a cadet in the academy. Now, he's teaching future police officers.
“They're looking to you, 'What's the next instruction?' You do something wrong, they're going to do something wrong with you," Gonzales said.
Cadets like Allen White are learning that even after getting a clearer view of their goals, there's always another hurdle.
“I didn't realize the intensity. It's very high intensity workouts," White said.
That intensity extends beyond the physical training.
"Their physical portion is about an hour every morning," Gonzales said.
"They are in that classroom for the rest of the time. It is heavy on the learning of the classroom time.”
Traffic laws, penal code, and search procedures are just the beginning.
"You have to make time after the course to get in what you couldn’t get in during class," White said.
Although they all come from different backgrounds, they have the same — now clear — end goal.
“I’m excited to get out and do a lot of patrolling and experience that these guys get to do," White said.
The Bryan police academy offers comprehensive training. Cadets spend about six months in the academy, six months with a field training officer, and another six months on probation.
Applications for the next round of training will open in September. More information will become available on the BPD website as the date approaches.