Finally, it was over.\nAfter 16 weeks of endless push-ups, junior Brett Rorem was ready to graduate.\nRorem forgot to put his name on a test one day; his superior officer helped him count out 20 push-ups.\nHe had to do 20 push-ups if he fell behind in the weekly run and 10 at the end of every day, along with the rest of the cadets.\nAnd if any of the cadets forgot to call someone "sir," 20 more push-ups were coming their way. \nIt wasn't uncommon for the cadets to do over 100 push-ups a day, and when graduation from the IU Police Academy rolled around Aug. 16, Rorem was finally able to smile.\nHe was an officer of the IU Police Department. He had fulfilled his dream.\nAnd he was done doing push-ups.
Graduation Day\nFor Rorem and the other 24 IUPD cadets in the Academy this summer, Graduation Day marked the end of 600 hours of classroom and hands-on training, including 70 hours of criminal law.\nThe cadets met every morning at 6 a.m. for physical training -- varying from swimming laps in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation pool, jumping off its 24-foot high-dives and running two or three miles through rough terrain on campus.\nTo celebrate the end and welcome the cadets as the newest members of the IUPD, friends, family, co-workers and officials gathered in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nAt the graduation ceremony, IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm addressed the crowd.\n"IUPD officers are individuals who have chosen to dedicate themselves to public service," Brehm said. "Their job is to protect us. And though we all hope that our officers never have to confront a life-threatening situation, everyone knows that at some point they may be called upon to risk their lives in order to fulfill their duty as police officers. I greatly respect their dedication and commitment."\nJames Davis, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Indianapolis Bureau then took the podium to make his remarks as the keynote speaker.\nDavis, a 20-year veteran of the FBI, described the importance of a strong and well-trained police force as being "frontline in the war on terror." \nHe also spoke highly of the Academy training influence on self-confidence.\n"Law enforcement academies, while intensive and detailed, can never address all the possible scenarios that an officer will face on the street," Davis said. "IUPD's program is most intensive and will certainly provide the basis for all those scenarios. The most important thing that it provides however is self-confidence. People call the police when they need help. A responding officer has to exude confidence, knowledge and experience. He is the law and the person that all are counting on to resolve whatever their problem may be."\nFinally, the light at the end of the tunnel of hard work became brighter.\nDavis presented the cadets with their badges and then the official oath.\nBut Rorem said what moved him the most was that he was finally done. \n"I knew it all paid off," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer Brandon Morley at bmorley@indiana.edu.
