William Suter, Shawn Rafferty and Sandy Hanes hold their guns for the first time. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        They couldn't have picked a more controversial time to become Cincinnati cops.

        Two officers stand indicted for the death of a suspect. Two lawsuits in the works are expected to accuse the police force of unfairly targeting African-Americans.

        Yet these 35 men and women in the Cincinnati Police Division's 90th recruit class will bust their butts over the next 21 weeks running miles and studying laws at the academy, located in Longworth Hall, downtown.

        With just two weeks under their belts, they're already repeating the same key phrases Chief Tom Streicher has used throughout the current death-in-custody crisis: Rely on your training. Have confidence in yourself. Respect that you have awesome authority.

        “It is kind of a time when everybody's on edge a little bit,” said recruit Bryan Dettmer, 24. “But you can't let things that happen like that change what you want to do.

        “I've wanted to be a police officer since I was, like, 10.”

Adam Scott grimaces during pushups while Carroll Todd and Keith Spurling urge him on. | ZOOM |

        The recruits have talked about the Nov. 7 death of Roger Owensby Jr. in Roselawn and the possible implications of indictments against Officers Robert Jorg and Patrick Caton.

        Some mentioned it during their introductions. Like average citizens, they want to know more about what happened during the arrest and what led to Officer Jorg's indictment on charges of involuntary manslaughter and Officer Caton's on charges of assault.

        Their teachers, however, are not focusing on it.

        “We're not doing anything differently,” said Ted Schoch, academy director. “They have to know they have our support. We tell them, "This is a high-profile job. You're a part of public life now.'”

Recruits practice their shooting stance. | ZOOM |

        Still, the lessons relate.

        Ethics. Authority. Respect.

        They address bystanders as “Ma'am” or “Sir.” They ask permission to go to the bathroom.

        It's all about instilling discipline and structure from the start, their instructors say.

        Many of them hope to serve as neighborhood officers, work the power shift in busy Over-the-Rhine, teach anti-drug lessons in schools, eventually maybe investigate homicides.

BY THE NUMBERS

• How many: 35 recruits; 32 hope to be Cincinnati officers, two are Cincinnati fire investigators in cross-training, one is being trained for Norwood.   • Gender and race: 27 men, eight women; 18 of the men are white, nine black; five of the women are white, three black. A court consent decree requires at least 34 percent of each class to come from minorities and 23 percent to be women.   • Age: Average age is 28. Oldest is 40; youngest, 21.   • College: 29 have at least some college hours — two have associate degrees in criminal justice, five have bachelor's degrees, two have master's degrees. One is working on a Ph.D.

        Chief Streicher addressed them the first week, emphasizing a broader picture of what it means to be a police officer.

        “It's not necessary for me to dwell on what's happened,” the chief said. “I told them they can't go out there and be bullies, that society gives them an awesome amount of authority and they need to be mindful of that.

        “I said, "Be judicious and be thoughtful and considerate.'”

        Lt. Col. Richard Janke, an assistant chief, assigned them an ethics project, to research the 1,000-officer police division's policies to find ways it encourages ethical decision-making.

        “We have the authority to deprive somebody of their freedom, immediately,” the assistant chief said. “There's nobody else that can legally use force against you, up to and including deadly force. Fundamentally, if they don't commit to making solid, ethical decisions, you get abuse.”

Iris Kelly and Angela Yesh participate in a trust exercise at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio | ZOOM |

        Recruit Leroy Martin has thought a lot about the current controversy and what it means.

        At 40, he's the oldest in the group. He's a Cincinnati firefighter enrolled to boost his investigative skills.

        “I already look at things differently since I've been here,” he said. “The average person out there is quick to judge the police in a negative light. But we're learning about what it's like when you have a split-second to make a decision.”

        Recruit Angela Yesh, a 32-year-old with a master's in philosophy who understands ancient Greek, is applying years of studying and teaching to the situation.

        “I'm kind of starting at it from now and what I can do now,” she said. “We're all kind of like the clay that needs to be molded. It seems like they've picked some really good clay. Now we just all need to focus on what they teach us and do our best.”

        Their first week brought lots of introductions, initial physical assessments and two days at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio.

        They started three-times-a-week workouts. They'll talk about community policing and learn about techniques other than force that can be used to control a suspect. Last Thursday, they got their weapons, 9mm Smith & Wessons. They'll spend weeks training with them.

        They'll take spelling tests regularly. They'll wear a band around the wrist of their gun hand, reminding them to always keep it free in case they need it fast.

        Sometimes, everybody graduates. Most years, a couple don't.

        “They're going to teach us what we need to know,” recruit Leroy Martin said. “And we need to have the self-confidence to carry it through. That's all they can do. The rest is on us.”

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