-: You need 60 college credits.
And it doesn't need to be in criminal justice.
We really bring in a lot of people's other skills as well,
foreign language skills, computer skills
come into everything, knowing what evidence to look for
in a digital device, financial background
where you can look at a fraud case
and figure out where money is going to.
All of those other skills are valuable as well.
Communication is huge.
We spend all day talking to people.
We may only fight very occasionally,
but every single day we're talking, talking, talking.
So learning deescalation
or how to kick it up a notch when you eed to.
That's as important.
The recruit academy, it's now 17 weeks
of training on how to be a police officer
to be certifiable in the state of Wisconsin.
So everything from professional communication skills
to hands-on defense and arrest tactics,
driving skills, your emergency vehicle operation,
how to investigate different crimes,
how to document different evidence.
All of those aspects get tied in,
both classroom and physical skills that are demonstrated
up until scenario week and graduation.
Having the patience to sort of let somebody
who's upset get through their feelings
without getting upset 'cause they're not listening
to you immediately, just taking a minute
to sort of let them process, talking with them is huge.
Like I said before, I talk every single day.
That's the most important part of my job,
because if I can talk somebody
into doing what I want them to do
versus forcing them physically,
that's a win in my book.
So those patience, listening,
communication, those are huge.