Exactly 27 years from the date he was born, Michael McKay Nelson stepped up to receive his graduation certificate from the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Facility.
The Salt Lake native, one of 27 cadets to graduate Wednesday, held his head high and smiled for the camera. He was now a full-fledged peace officer."I'm so proud of him," Nelson's mother, Bonnie, said. "I always knew he was interested in being a park ranger, but this - I'm en-thralled."
Nelson had served as a park ranger in Snow Canyon doing seasonal work for four years, but wanted to do more. So he enlisted in POST to fulfill his dream, born while he was a student at Morningside Elementary School in Holladay.
"I had a couple of friends, and we would get together and play army, cops and robbers and other stuff," said Nelson, a soft-spoken, well-mannered cadet. "It was fun and I liked the excitement."
After stepping into the POST facility located next to the Public Safety Building, 4501 S. 2700 West, Nelson realized there was much more to police work than chasing bad guys through the streets.
"The program I just finished was very intense," he smiled. "We've been here since Sept. 13 and have been through every criminal circumstance possible. It was a rich learning experience and it will help. It's the real thing out there."
James Keith, training supervisor, said it was mandatory the cadets were trained with hands-on application.
"They (the cadets) conducted building searches at actual crime scenes. They came up against actual DUI situations with impaired individuals and took part in arrest control and defensive tactics," said Keith, a former Layton police officer. "They are all radar-certified and have had training - not only in the classrooms - but on the driving course and out in the real streets. Every bit of training requires full concentration, both physically and mentally."
Nelson said the concentration began each day at 7 a.m.
"The first thing on the agenda was stretching," he said. "We always began the day with exercises and arrest-control tactics. We needed to be as flexible as possible so we wouldn't strain anything."
After an hour of the "action and reaction" exercises, the cadets did sit-ups and embarked on a three- to four-mile run.
At 8:30 a.m., the cadets filed into the classroom and filled their minds with texts, case studies and other information including the Utah Code and other civil rights and criminal law examples.
The 31/2-hour class ended at noon. After an hour lunch, the cadets took on a four-hour block at either the shooting range or driving course.
"To be honest I was very nervous about the driving," Nelson confessed. "We had to demonstrate our control during high-speed chases on dry and wet roads. I went home and had nightmares about orange barrier cones."
"Each of these exercises were designed to develop each student's physical and mental facilities, so they will be able to handle the incidents they will face in a safe and professional way," Keith said. "The cadets are devoted individuals who put in 10- to 14-hour days. Sometimes they don't complete an assignment until 11 p.m. or midnight, and they have to be back here at seven."
Keith said Nelson's class gave him very harsh criteria for judging the next incoming class.
"This was my first class since I left Layton last July," he said. "They've set very high standards, and I'm extremely proud of all them."
In physical fitness, the cadets earned an 85 percent overall class average and a 91.4 percent average in academic achievement based on seven exams and 10 quizzes, Keith said.
"In addition to that, the class survived five newborn babies, six family-related deaths and the flu," he said.
During the POST commencement, Nelson's father Arthur echoed his wife's and Keith's senti-ment.
"I'm am very proud of Mike," he said. "He's doing exactly what he wanted to do. One thing I really noticed was his positive attitude toward law enforcement. Like a lot of younger people, Mike held a little resistance towards police officers and authority in the past, and it was neat to see his attitude change while here at POST."