Preparing for work

Jose Paul Corona

Sweat dripped onto Jim Diamond’s chest from underneath the

protective face mask he wore as he fought with police academy cadets

at the Golden West College Criminal Justice Training Center.

Clad in thick, padded protective gear, Diamond chased cadets,

wrestled them to the ground and slapped them around a bit.

The entire ordeal lasted only 45-seconds, but cadets received a

potentially life-saving workout in that short amount of time.

While some of the cadets managed to avoid Diamond’s punches and

kicks, others got wrestled to the ground and were shoved into walls.

The training session prepares aspiring police officers for what

they may have to go through once they carry a badge and gun.

“It’s disorienting,” said a sweaty cadet named Zach Pricer,

shortly after tangling with Diamond.

The 24-year-old Long Beach resident and Surf City police

department recruit said he has a lot to learn when it comes to

reacting in an attack situation.

While cadets are told and trained how to react, nothing really

prepares them for the sudden adrenaline burst they get when they are

attacked, Pricer said.

“You’re learning how to deal with that,” he said.

That type of training is something that police officers don’t get

enough of, said Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Michael Mello, a police

academy instructor.

“That’s the reason we take them to the ground,” Mello said.

For some of the cadets, the exercise is the first violent

encounter that they’ve been in. They need to get an idea of what it

can be like before they go out into the field, Mello said.

Young officers may be able to handle the situation physically, but

they don’t have the necessary experience that would allow them to

deal with an attack, Mello said.

As for their trainer, Diamond said he enjoys the exercise that

calls for him to be hit with a baton and wrestle cadets to the

ground.

“It’s fun,” the L.A. police officer said as he tried to catch his

breath. Taking part in the training session gives him the chance to

brush up on the same techniques that he is teaching the cadets,

Diamond said.

He gives cadets advice while they are attacking him, but at the

same time, does his best to catch them off guard.

“If they’re slacking, you have to turn it up a little bit,” he

said.