The first week of training for the Lawrence Police Department’s 13 new recruits resembled a college classroom instead of a tactical boot camp.

Or at least it did last Thursday morning when Chief Tarik Khatib let me sit in on the session to get insight into the training of the recruit class during the 24-week academy.

Chad Sublet, a public safety staff attorney for the city, talked through basics of constitutional law, including the Bill of Rights, with the recruits, who asked several questions about what they should do in various scenarios.

The discussion was a refresher for several recruits.

“It’s a review. Coming from a different field, it’s been awhile,” said Ashley Johnson, who chose the profession after working as a licensed social worker.

Jake Burke, who previously served as a federal officer and in the U.S. Coast Guard, said studying the Bill of Rights was crucial.

“It’s something that governs us and protects the citizens,” he said.

Sublet cited examples from many U.S. Supreme Court cases on issues such as probable cause for searches and other scenarios.

“The most important thing professionally for you is honesty,” Sublet said.

David Hogue, a training officer for the recruits, estimated roughly half of their time during the 24-week academy will be spent in the classroom while the rest involves more physical training, such as mock vehicle stops and building searches.

One of the more interesting exchanges in last Thursday’s class involved a discussion about whether threatening speech could rise to the criminal level, especially when comments are made toward law enforcement officers. Sublet offered one telling remark to the recruits about paying attention to the speech in the context of a person’s physical actions as well.

“You are expected to be able to put up with more,” he said, “than the average citizen.”

I plan to try to check in with the recruit academy and blog about the experience once or twice a week.