The old saying &uot;like father, like son,&uot; is being proven in Georgiana.

Recently, Isaac Ward graduated from the police academy and joined the police force with his father Lt. Alan Ward.

Isaac was able to do so by going to the same police academy his father attended when he began his career in Bay Minnette. Alan completed the school in 1990 and his son finished in July.

Georgiana Police Chief James Blackmon said it was very rare for a father and son to complete the same school.

&uot;It is very unique for that to happen,&uot; said Blackmon. &uot;It’s doesn’t happen very often that a father and son finish the same academy.&uot;

Isaac, who had been a volunteer with the force for two years, said the academy was a great training tool.

&uot;It was definitely a good experience overall,&uot; said Isaac. &uot;I learned a lot.&uot;

Along with educational, Isaac said the academy was also tough.

It is estimated cadets in the academy will run around 50 miles and do thousands of push-ups during their time.

Alan said he told his son it would take a lot of sweat to make it through.

&uot;I just told him he was going to have to work hard to get through it,&uot; said Alan. &uot;It was just that simple.&uot;

Blackmon said the camps have gotten progressively harder to meet the growing demands of the modern policeman.

&uot;Every year it gets tougher and tougher for police officers to complete the camp,&uot; said Blackmon. &uot;They usually start out with about 50 and lose a few along the way.&uot;

Both Alan and Isaac said the camp proved too much for members of their class.

&uot;We started with about 21 and finished with 17,&uot; said Isaac. &uot;We had a small class, but we still lost a couple.&uot;

Alan said his 1990 class also dropped members along the way.

&uot;We started with 102 and finished with around 70,&uot; said Alan. &uot;It is very tough.&uot;

Blackmon said it was normal to lose around 30 percent of the class.

&uot;It’s very common for about a third of the class not to make it,&uot; said Blackmon. &uot;It’s a very tough camp.&uot;

Blackmon said push-ups and running were not the only tough parts of the academy.

&uot;The class work can be very tough,&uot; said Blackmon. &uot;I would say it is just as tough as the physical work.&uot;

Isaac agreed with Blackmon.

&uot;I would say the classroom work was as tough as anything,&uot; said Isaac. &uot;All of the legal testing can be very hard.&uot;

Though the camp was hard Isaac stuck with it and achieved his goal of becoming a Georgiana Police Officer last Friday.

Georgiana Mayor Lynn Watson had some valuable advice for Isaac as he started his career.

&uot;Remember you are human and so are they,&uot; said Watson. &uot;People make mistakes. Just remember to keep your cool and you will do great.&uot;