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IN OUR FIRST WARNING SEVEN DAY. ALL RIGHT, JASON, SEE YOU IN A BIT. WELL, THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT PREPARING TO LAUNCH ITS NEXT ACADEMY CLASS. AROUND 15 CANDIDATES ARE COMPETING FOR A SPOT, EACH HOPING TO PROVE THAT THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE AS �������� 13. MAGDALA LOUISSAINT REPORTS. THIS GROUP BRINGS SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THE TABLE, BUT THEY’RE ALSO FACING SOME CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY. 45 SECONDS. LET’S GO. THESE ARE THE NEW FACES OF RECRUITS HOPING TO JOIN THE NEXT ACADEMY CLASS WITH THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT THERE’S ONE THING STANDING IN THEIR WAY. PASSING THE PHYSICAL AGILITY TEST. COME ON, HURRY UP. REQUIRED TO BECOME AN OFFICER IS PUSH UPS. BUT I’M GETTING THERE. JULY IS FAR AWAY. I’LL DO WELL. I FAILED THE FIRST ONE, SO I CAME BACK ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO LATER AND DID IT THE SECOND TIME. AND THAT’S WHEN THEY RECOMMENDED I DO THE GRIT PROGRAM BECAUSE I PASSED EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE PUSH UPS. WE’RE KIDDING. YOU. WE HAVE UNTIL JULY 27TH AT 5 A.M. ALMOST EVERY DAY THESE RECRUITS SHOW UP VOLUNTARILY AN HOUR BEFORE THEIR CURRENT JOBS TO TRAIN IN THE GRIT PROGRAM. GRIT STANDS FOR GRINDING RESILIENCE, INTENSITY TRAINING. KEEP GOING. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. HERE’S LONGTIME GRIT INSTRUCTOR JAMES GIBBS. YOU SAW HIM DOING PUSH UPS AND RUN. THAT’S EQUIVALENT TO THE CAR PUSH THAT. IF THEY’RE PUSHING THAT CAR AND THEY GOT TO GET UP AND RUN. YOU SAW THE JUMP BACK PULL ON THE TIRE. THAT’S EQUIVALENT TO THE DUMMY. PULL THE TIRES HARDER THAN THE DUMMY. SO EVERYTHING WE DO IS WE ELEVATE IT A LOT. WE DO A LOT OF HOLLAND, BUT THEN WE ALSO DO A LOT OF MOTIVATION. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. SOME HAVE BEEN TRAINING SINCE SPRING WORKING TO MASTER JUST 22 CONSECUTIVE PUSH UPS, OR TO RUN A MILE AND A HALF IN UNDER 15 MINUTES. THEY TOLD ME YOU CAN COME BACK AND JOIN THE PROGRAM. YOU’LL BE BETTER. SHE WENT OFF. I’M STILL SURPRISED I CAN RUN 13 MINUTES. I’M 41 YEARS OLD WITH THREE KIDS. I CAN’T BELIEVE I CAN RUN. THE GRIT IS REAL. BUT SO WAS THE MOTIVATION. ONE MORE. THIS IS A CAREER THAT I FEEL GIVES YOU DISCIPLINE AND STRUCTURE, AND I CAN ALSO HELP THE COMMUNITY BY HELPING TO CHANGE THE STIGMA. SHOW MORE PEOPLE LIKE US WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP. I’M VERY SPIRITUAL AND I PRAY A LOT, SO I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, GOD LED ME HERE, YOU KNOW, LIKE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO BE AMONG THE PEOPLE KEEPING BIRMINGHAM SAFE. WE NEED THAT. I HAVE TWO SONS AND A DAUGHTER. I WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE. OTHERS SEE A CHANCE TO BUILD BRIDGES. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T FEEL SAFE WITH POLICE, AND THEY’RE KIND OF SCARED. SO AS A HISPANIC PERSON, I CAN TRANSLATE TO THEM AND HELP THEM FEEL SAFER, GET BACK. AND EVEN WHEN IT GETS TOUGH, THEY’RE NOT BACKING DOWN. AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY PUSH YOU REAL HARD AND THEY NEED TO BE THE NEXT ACADEMY CLASS BEGINS IN JULY. THESE RECRUITS WILL BE TRAINING UP UNTIL THAT DAY AND MAGDALA THOSE PULLING THOSE TIRES AND RUNNING. THAT’S NO JOKE. YOU WERE OUT. YOU WERE OUT THERE WITH THEM TODAY. I MEAN, WE HAD TO WAKE UP AT. I HAD TO BE THERE BEFORE 5:00 IN THE MORNING, JUST LIKE THEM. I WATCHED THEM. IT WAS REMARKABLE TO SEE. I MEAN, IT’S REPETITIVE. YOU’RE RUNNING CONSTANTLY, THE PUSH UPS YOU GOT TO KEEP DOING, AND THEY’RE GOING FOR TIME AND THEY’RE CHECKING YOU EVERY SINGLE TIME, TOO. SO IT WAS TOUGH TO WATCH THEM. I DIDN’T GO THROUGH IT JUST A LITTLE BIT. I DID A LITTLE TEASE. I PULLED THE TIRES. I DID NOT RUN BECAUSE I AM NOT A RUNNER. BUT IT WAS INTERESTING TO WATCH THEM AND YOU KNOW, WE WISH THEM THE BEST. THERE IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE PHYSICAL AGILITY SCREENING THAT WILL BE TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT 1:00. WHAT ABOUT RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT? ANY UPDATE THERE? YES. SO THE MAYOR ACTUALLY GAVE AN UPDATE TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS JUST YESTERDAY WHEN THE DEPARTMENT WAS 223 OFFICERS DOWN IN NOVEMBER. SO AFTER THEY APPROVED THAT AT THAT TIME, THOUGH, THEY’RE SAYING A 73% WAS THE STAFFING. AND TODAY THAT’S UP TO 80%. WOODFIN SAYS 37 NEW OFFICERS HAVE JOINED THE DEPARTMENT AND 15 LATERAL HIRES HAVE TRANSFERRED BACK TO BPD OR CAME FROM ANOTHER POLICE AGENCY. THERE ARE 50 RECRUITS IN THE ACADEMY CLASS THAT STARTED IN APRIL, AND THERE ARE STILL 149 OFFICER POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED. BUT OF THE 184 PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE PHYSICAL AGILITY SCREENINGS, 112 HAVE PASSED TO GO ON TO THE NEXT STEP. SO NOW THAT DOESN’T MEAN ALL 112 PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO FILL THOSE VACANT POSITIONS I WAS JUST TELLING YOU ABOUT, BUT MAYOR WOODFIN SAYS IT PROVES AND SHOWS THAT THESE OFFICERS OR THESE PEOPLE RATHER ARE INTERESTED IN WANTING TO BECOME A POLICE OFFIC