News Flash

I had a field day recently at the Police Academy. 

I joined Officer Brian Lee to run the physical agility course. Officer Lee is the recruiter for the Roanoke County Police Department and travels around the East Coast to tell people about what the department has to offer.

The physical agility test is part of the application process for recruits. The course is meant to simulate a foot pursuit and includes sprinting around the gym, jumping over a five-foot wall and crawling under obstacles. 

Officer Lee and I both ran the circuit. He has run it dozens – if not hundreds – of times at this point, including when he applied at the academy. What you see in the video was my first ever go at the course!

I was a little nervous before I started because I was determined to get a passing time. I thought jumping over the wall was going to be my biggest hurdle because I don’t often jump over walls these days, but dragging the 150-pound dummy was definitely the thing that slowed me down the most. 

To pass, recruits have to finish the course in under two minutes. Want to see how we did? Check out the full video on YouTube and get an inside look at what it takes to join the Roanoke County Police Department.

Em Poertner is Roanoke County's Public Information Specialist. She hosts the Out of the Office podcast and Roam RoCo video series. If you have ideas for something to explore around Roanoke County, email her at epoertner@roanokecountyva.gov.