Before the Badge: Daytona Beach Police Department Debuts “Academy 06” Documentary
A new behind-the-scenes documentary offers residents an exclusive glimpse into the training of Daytona Beach’s next generation of police officers. Titled Academy 06, the program follows 22 recruits as they navigate the rigorous journey to becoming sworn officers. The class, which includes three women, is taught by members of DBPD’s highly skilled training division led by Sergeant Monica Lee and Officers Jason Dungan, Sean Walker, Chad Alvesteffer and Brian Milligan in partnership with Daytona State College’s Law Enforcement Academy.
Academy 06 captures the physical, mental and emotional challenges recruits face throughout the training process. Each participant is already a fully vetted employee of the department, having passed a demanding hiring process, including a polygraph exam; psychological, physical and medical evaluations; drug screening and a written assessment.
The documentary offers a raw, unfiltered look into real-life training scenarios and high-stress situations, preparing recruits for the realities of police work.
“We want to make sure that every recruit here, number one, has grit. They have to be able to persevere through adversity. That’s why our academy is set up the way it is, because once you roll out of the academy and onto the streets, if you’re not prepared, you’re going to get slapped in the face,” said Police Chief Jakari Young in the documentary’s introduction.
During the training process, recruits must complete at least 770 hours of Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) academy coursework, along with an additional 240 hours of DBPD-specific instruction. After graduation, new officers enter a field training program where they’re paired with experienced officers and evaluated daily by supervisors.
The first episode was released this week on DBPD’s YouTube channel @DaytonaBeachPoliceDepartment, and a new episode will be released each month.