A Day in the Life of an Academy Recruit: Traci: driving

Week 19, Day 4

Well, this is one of my last blogs. Can you believe it? I can’t. I never imagined that I would be writing in week 19…and actually live to tell about it. It is all coming to an end and I still feel like it all started last week. One of the things about this academy is…they really packed in a lot of stuff in 20 weeks. I can remember going through the hiring process and getting all my paperwork together…then waiting to hear something. The hiring process in itself seemed to take an eternity. But now that it is all said and done…it was so worth the wait. So if you are thinking of applying for a deputy sheriff position, just be patient it will all happen in due time.

The great thing about Jefferson County Sheriff Department, they are professional, thorough and they will get you through the process. I was looking at our county website today and looked at the application process. I actually had a huge smile on my face…because I did it. I stuck it out and I (with the grace of God) graduate with my classmates next Friday. Right now, it just seems unimaginable. Now that I am done reminiscing…I will move onto what we accomplished since my last blog.

We finished out week 18 with driver’s training and the Colorado POST driving course. I think this was the most fun I have ever had in a car. I wasn’t even stressed or worried about passing the practical driving test because…the instructors worked so hard to make sure we understood everything. Sergeant Baughman worked really hard to make sure we all did well. So thank you Sergeant, I really feel comfortable in a patrol car. And everyone passed the written and practical tests.

Part of the POST course was driving at night and doing a pursuit. This exercise was really fun. We got to work in teams and basically chase down a “bad guy”. It was cool because it was in a controlled environment and I never felt concerned about safety. What most people don’t know is…when a pursuit is going on…there is a lot going on in our patrol cars. We are not only watching the suspect, we are watching the citizens around us, we are watching road conditions, the flow of traffic, the amount of other cars on the road and we are calling out all this information over our radios. So it’s not just a pursuit…there are a lot factors to consider and worry about.

So I guess we have to take the good with the bad. Driving was good…Taser was bad. On Monday, we had the pleasure of getting Tased. Well…I never thought I would say this but…O.C. spray was better. I did not care for the Taser at all. We all took turns (it’s a voluntary thing) to get 50,000 volts put through our bodies. I will say this to anyone out there who reads this blog…if you are ever in a position where you are going to get tased by a police officer for not complying…COMPLY!!! You don’t want to know what this feels like. On the other hand it was good to know what it feels like. I don’t ever want to put someone through anything that I am not willing or have not experienced myself. I am still debating if I will post pictures of this training.

So besides the Taser, we had another BIG event here at the academy. We went through our mock crime scenes. This was fun, exciting and a real eye opener. We were broke up into groups of 6 and given a scenario to go through. The scenarios all started with a call from dispatch, telling us to respond to an address for a crime. These scenarios were to be played out, as if they were real.

My group had an assault case, which dealt with domestic violence. It was chaotic, crazy and it felt like everything happened so fast (common theme in this academy). We handled the suspect…got them into handcuffs and off to jail. We got the victim to the hospital. Then we had to write a search warrant for evidence items, photograph and sketch the scene, collect the evidence and get it packaged for the crime lab and…of course, we had to write a report and all the forms that went with it. We had basically 4 hours to complete the paperwork and package all of our evidence. It was CRAZY!!! My group was great. We communicated very well and worked as a team. So as crazy as it was…we did learn a lot from this exercise.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Once we were done with our reports, forms and evidence, we turned them in for review. Our “mock” scenes are now going to be sent to “mock” trial. So some of the groups will have their day in court and have to testify on the witness stand, to a judge and District Attorney. So if we didn’t write our reports correctly, or fill in the forms properly or better yet…package the evidence within standards…our cases could be thrown out of court. There are a handful of us in this academy class that have testified on the stand (for real cases), and I am sure we can all say it is not a pleasant experience. Even though this is a (mock) court and it’s all a learning experience, I am still nervous. It’s just the thought of having to defend our work and making sure we have covered everything.

Well, we are finishing out week 19 with a DUI lab. This is where we review the DUI laws in Colorado and how to enforce them. We are taught how to conduct field sobriety tests and how to determine when someone has had too much to drink. That’s the first part of the class. The second part is…getting people intoxicated so we can practice these techniques. Let me clarify this…we (the students in the academy class) are NOT the people drinking. The instructors for this class provide people who will get intoxicated, in a controlled environment. This should be fun. I must tell you…just like O.C. spray and the Taser…I volunteered to get intoxicated. I figured I have volunteered for everything else, why not. This DUI lab takes place on Friday and it’s actually my birthday. But I was told NO. Hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying.

Some of the guys take a break from driving to put on a "Real Gun Show"

OOPS!!! Not supposed to hit the cones

How to take a turn at high speed

Recruit Warren asking for directions

High speed pursuit in action

This is my driving partner (the trunk monkey)

Group A with a vintage police car (thanks to Deputy Barnes)

Recruit Meyer takes advantage of some down time before the night driving

Driving lessons in a patrol car...free. High speed pursuits...free.
Trying to knock the cone off someone's head...PRICELESS!!!

Communication is the key to processing any crime scene

Discussing the crime scene

Week 18, Day 3

We have now moved into the driving portion of the academy. This is by far, the best week of the academy. I am sure the instructors have heard this before, but really this is way too much fun. We are learning driving techniques that I never thought were possible. Its fun…it’s demanding…and it is a true adrenaline rush. We are not only pushing ourselves, but we are pushing the vehicles capabilities.

We are developing skills for our final POST driving test. We get an hour at each station and then on Saturday, we will put it all together and test out. If you are one who gets car sick…then this may not be your cup of tea. I was riding shotgun with my buddy Gonzo and almost threw up in his lap yesterday. Not a good feeling.

The best part of this course is the high speed braking. We start out relatively slow (45 mph) and work up to 60 and 65 mph and drive straight at a row cones (signifying a wall). Once we get close to the wall…we slam on the brakes with both feet and steer around the wall, trying not to hit anything. Every time we got faster, the adrenaline goes up. Even though they are only cones…it’s the simulation that it could be a real wall or even a car that has stopped in front of us. These vehicles really do turn and stop on a dime.

Another technique we have learned is…what they call shuffle steering. This is where you place your hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel and they never leave the wheel. Sounds easy, but it’s not when your trying to steer a 4000 pound vehicle around a cone. I want to thank Officer Schoepflin from Wheat Ridge PD. He stayed after class to help me with my shuffle steering and get me on track (no pun intended).

The idea behind all of these techniques is to trust the vehicle we are driving.
Now imagine all these driving techniques being taught and practiced…in the rain. Monday wasn’t so bad, but Tuesday was a cold rainy day. The rain made for some interesting braking and vehicle skids. Overall, it was a great day.

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous blog…but I have done a couple ride-a-longs with a friend of mine at Wheat Ridge PD. I rode on a Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend. It was really cool. What’s cool about it is…I get to take everything I have learned in the last 17 weeks and watch it being applied to real life situations. During my ride, we pulled a vehicle over for a traffic violation and it turned into an arrest. I sat in the patrol car and watch this whole thing unfold. From the time we stopped the vehicle to the time the suspect was in custody, took all of 10 minutes. It happened that fast. It’s a great experience if you have never done it…I highly recommend it. Not only for me getting to put it all together, but you also get to see what these police officers deal with on a daily basis. So thank you to Wheat Ridge PD for their ride-a-long program and thanks to SGT. Balafas for letting me tag along.