‘Come Here to Learn – Leave Here to Serve’ is the motto in one of the main classrooms at the Columbus Police Academy. The Columbus Division of Police recently welcomed the 94th recruiting class to the start of their law enforcement careers.Prior to graduating, recruits have to endure an intensive 25-week program at the academy, located at 2609 McKinley Ave.’Recruits are required to come in nine hours a day, Monday through Friday,’ said Walter L. Distelzweig, Training Bureau Commander and a graduate of the April 1973 class. There are three to four classes per year and the number of recruits vary from 30 to 50 depending upon funding, Distelzweig said.Training includes classroom work, driver training, use of firearms, learning about domestic violence, role playing, physical training and self-defense.All police officers receive academic preparation through a series of courses that are mandated by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council. After the completion of courses, a separate state test is given.Physical and self-defense training are key components in the completion of academy training. Running, sit-ups and push-ups are three forms of exercise used to keep the recruits in shape.Self-defense training includes boxing, wrestling, red-man training, which is used to teach the use of force policy and pressure point control tactics, which shows recruits how to restrain an out-of-control person.Firearms training is scored on a points system. Each shot is worth one to five points depending upon where the bullet hits the target. Each recruit shoots 60 rounds, resulting in a maximum of 300 points. Recruits need a minimum of 210 points to pass the firearms test.Recruits must complete a patrol path in which field training officers come to the academy and test a recruit’s knowledge of writing police reports given different scenarios. The recruits complete these tasks from police cruisers in the academy parking lot.Two awards are given to each recruiting class. An academic award is given to the recruit with the highest test results and a shooter’s trophy goes to the person with the highest firearms score.Forty-two recruits were in the 94th class, including six women. One new officer, Pamela Fidler, will be the only female Hispanic police officer in the entire Columbus Police Division.’Changes have been made on admissions testing to target more minorities,’ Fidler said Fidler said she is hopeful that the test revisions will lead to the hiring of more minority officers.The 94th class featured the oldest recruit to ever graduate from the academy. James R. Wilson begins his new law enforcement career at the age of 50.After graduation, recruits begin field training for two months with field training officers (FTOs).’It is really interesting dealing with new and old officers,’ said Karin Gorius, Assistant Coordinator of Field Training. She pairs up recruits and FTOs and monitors their activities.Recruiting class training is actually the last step in the process of becoming an officer.The person must first file an application with the Columbus Civil Service. After filing an application, interested persons take a three part examination, which includes multiple choice, writing and oral exercises. Applicants must pass all three parts of the test.Those who score high enough must answer a personal history questionnaire, have pictures and fingerprints made, take a polygraph examination, have employment history and references checked and complete a home interview.All information is sent to a review board which consists of three veteran officers. The officers hold a required interview with each applicant.Next, the Civil Service Commission checks each applicant’s interview packet to insure there are no violations of hiring guidelines.Finally, a vision, cardiovascular stress test and a psychological evaluation are given. If a recruit passes all of these tests, he/she is notified of a beginning date for the academy.