Carl Van Dyke hopes to wear a navy blue uniform and become one of Federal Way’s finest.

But first, he’ll have to get through the Basic Law Enforcement Academy and complete field training officer training. Van Dyke, 25, is one of the Federal Way Police Department’s newest recruits. He passed physical training and is currently enrolled in the police academy.

The Mirror will follow Van Dyke on his journey to becoming an officer. He has many challenges ahead of him: Physical, mental and emotional. Within a year’s time, he could be hitting Federal Way’s streets fully trained. Until then, the recruit’s story will be told here.

Meet Van Dyke

Van Dyke, though relatively young, has seen and done a lot in his lifetime. He grew up in the farming community of Woodland, Mich. — population 495 as of the 2000 census.

Van Dyke followed his high school career with a seven-year stint in the U.S. Army. His last duty station was Fort Lewis. He and his wife took a liking to Washington state and stuck around.

The recruit always planned to be a police officer, he said. A family friend spurred the desire.

“He kind of inspired me to follow in his footsteps,” Van Dyke said.

With a fully supportive family and a military background, Van Dyke on Jan. 26 began his first day at the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, held at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien. He is confident he will succeed and become an outstanding officer, he said.

“I can be calm and make decisions under stress,” Van Dyke said.

Training begins

He spent his second day of training listening to staff prepare him for what lay ahead in the 19-week training course.

“Believe me, folks are going to challenge you in every way we can,” Basic Academy Assistant Cmdr. Sgt. Rich Phillips said.

The men and women will learn defensive tactics, basic handcuffing, case law, firearms fundamentals, use of force, vehicle stops, drug abuse investigations, gang awareness, field interviews and response to domestic violence calls for help, among other things. Those who pass the academy will have dedicated 720 in-school training hours to becoming a police officer. The academy must be recruits’ first priority if they plan to pass, Phillips said.

“This is a 19-week tunnel,” he said. “Look straight ahead. Don’t look left. Don’t look right.”

High standards

The academy will simulate real life. Officers are held to a high standard, and their every move is analyzed by the public and media, Phillips said.

“You’re the only profession where everything you do has to be right,” Phillips said. “You choose to have every action you do over the next 25 years scrutinized.”

Five classes — roughly 200 students from agencies across the state — are currently enrolled in the academy. Approximately 10 percent will either drop out, fail or be terminated by the end of training.

“We’ve already lost one out of this class,” Phillips told the recruits. “We’ll lose more. That’s the way it is.”

Those who make it through will go on to the field training officer program. There, the new hires will ride with a mentoring officer for about three months while they practice their training in real-life scenarios in the city or jurisdiction where they were hired. Following that, they will be allowed to serve alone. Throughout their careers, the officers will encounter mind-blowing situations and people.

“You’ll get a Ph.D in psychology,” Phillips said. “You won’t believe the things you see, the things you hear, the things that are out there.”

The good decisions by police rarely make the news, and the public is eager to mistrust those in the profession, Phillips said. Good cops must work hard to prove themselves.

“There are no shortcuts in law enforcement,” Phillips said. “Good law enforcement takes a lot of effort.”

Check it out

This is the first in a series of articles that will follow Van Dyke as he progresses through the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, moves on to the field training officer program and then becomes a full-fledged Federal Way police officer. Keep reading to learn more about Van Dyke’s training, challenges and progress.