The Eve of Graduation

Week 20, Day 4

Well…here it is…the evening before graduation. I am still in shock and yet I am so excited. I can’t believe that I did it and that the entire class (all 41) made it. It is a moment we have all waited for and now it is less then 24 hours away.

First, I would like to say to my classmates…congratulations. It has not been easy. We have overcome some really tough days and A LOT of training. I can still remember the first couple of weeks…sitting through all the law classes and figuring out how to read the “Blue Book”. Those were some daunting days and I didn’t think they would ever end. Now you can ask anyone of us about…let’s say…the difference between 1st and 2nd degree assault…and we can give you the elements of the crime and how to fill out the forms. (Especially 1st and 2nd degree burns…that’s a little inside joke)

You could take anyone of us to the firing range, give us a gun and we will confidently hit the targets. We can all defend ourselves in a fight. We can fight through O.C. spray. We can safely drive a patrol car and feel confident and comfortable with ourselves and the car’s abilities. We can direct traffic, conduct a vehicle search, a building search and even secure a crime scene. How about some PT? Because we can do that too. We have done it all and we have done it together.

Class 2009-1, has a lot of different personalities and a lot of diversity. Each and every one of us had some experience and knowledge to bring to the table. I have learned at least one thing from every single person in this class. It is a great feeling to have come so far and to graduate with every person we started with. It is unusual with such a large group, that we didn’t lose a single person.

I want to talk about an exercise we did today, that was interesting and it had people come out of their comfort zones. It was a team building exercise that forced us to dig deep into our emotions (not easy for most people to do, especially this group). We had to reveal how we felt about the police organizations we work for and about a topic we are really passionate about. The best part…we were on our feet, clapping and yelling encouragements to each other. It was cool to see what each person felt and what drives them to put the uniform on every day. I am just sad that it took until today (Week 20, day 4) to hear that about each other.

Graduation day for me will be a beautiful ending to 5 ½ months of sacrifice and hard work. But it’s also the beginning of a new way of life. A new profession that I am proud to be a part of and I look forward to working with my fellow classmates (my new family). I have asked my sister to pin my badge on my uniform during the ceremony tomorrow. My family has been a there for me and has supported me through this adventure. I am looking forward to my family getting to meet my new family…the Deputies of Jefferson County Sheriff Department.

CLASS 2009-1…Congratulations…WE DID IT!!!

The "Right of Passage" run up Lookout Mountain




Up the hill, with Golden in the background

Here we come with a Police escort

Here we are at the top

Deputy Johnson and Deputy Hoffman pushed out 41 push-ups (1 for each of us that passed the POST exam)

This is a "Perfect" place for Deputy Johnson (just kidding, he knows we appreciate all he has done for us)

Time to Get Serious

Week 2, Day 3


Well last week was the get to know you stage, it was a little like the first week of school. Everyone was learning names and getting to hear what type of backgrounds everyone has and what agencies we are all with. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement academy not only trains Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies, but they train police officers and deputies from other local agencies as well. In this academy class we have representatives from Arvada P.D., Wheat Ridge P.D., Douglas and Boulder County Sheriff’s Offices, Avon P.D., Vail P.D. and CU P.D. Yes, CU actually has a police department, who knew.

All of the recruits in the academy have a wide variety of backgrounds and come from all over the country. We have a recruit from Wales, one from Louisiana and then some that were born and raised in Jefferson County. We have people that have just graduated from college, some that were and still are in the military and others who have master’s degrees. Like I said in my last blog we have 41 recruits and out of the 41, there are 8 female recruits. So as you can see it is a diverse group. But we have one thing in common….we all want to be police officers. We have fought hard to get here and we really want to do well. We want to prove that we deserve to be here and in 20 weeks we will graduate and be able to serve the citizens of various communities.

Each week the academy staff picks 2 recruits to be the class sergeant and the assistant class sergeant. In the military we refer to this as “Voluntold”, instead of volunteer. So for this week I was given that honor and it is an honor. But don’t get me wrong, it is not easy. Not only do I have to keep up with my studies, my physical training, but I have to answer to the academy staff. I am the representative for the class and anything that needs to get done or is wrong with the class….well I have to explain to academy staff why it was not accomplished. Yesterday, we did 92 push-ups because as a group we failed to fill out the required class evaluations that are due everyday. So we got down on the ground in our suits and dress clothes and pushed the floor. I think for some it was an eye opener. The academy staff is serious when they say “GET IT DONE

On Monday of this week, we had our first physical training (PT) session. We all assembled at 0800 hours ready to go. Well, almost ready. Monday morning the weather here at the academy was very cold and the winds were gusting, what seemed like hurricane force winds. So we were all dressed in sweats, hats and gloves, with the hopes that the instructors would get lost on their way to PT and it would be cancelled. NO SUCH LUCK!!! So we ran or kind of shuffled into the wind and up and down all the hills the instructors could find, for about an hour. We had some people fall out of formation for one reason or another and we as a group would circle back and pick them up and continue on. WE LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND!! It was a motivating PT session.

I will say this….this class, really knows how to motivate each other and we are coming together as a team. That is good in the eyes of the instructors, but it helps when we are one cohesive unit. We get to know each others strengths and weaknesses, and by doing that, we will be able to help each other through the next 20 weeks and graduate 41 strong. I want to end this blog with a poem I found and one I ready often. It reminds me why I am in this academy and the type of person that I am….I hope it rings true for others.

A Warrior’s Heart
By Anthony W. Busch

As I awake from my slumber,
My mind on my task,
I don my armor,
And walk the warrior’s path.

I am ready to fight;
Not for glory or fame,
And more importantly not to elevate my name.

I do walk this path, each and every day,
My life on the line and it’s not for the pay.

My task is hard and tears I have shed,
For the horrors I’ve seen that are stuck in my head.

But I make you this promise as I begin my quest;
I will protect you and your family and even your guest.

So close your eyes knowing I will do my best,
And know without doubt, tonight you can safely rest.

Please trust in your heart every word I have said.
May I never betray your trust.
I would rather be dead.

For this is my charge and a promise I swore,
Tonight is the night that I shall go to war.

And if I should live to see this day end,
I will rest my head and this pray again…

LORD, watch over my sheep as now I must sleep,
And forgive me my slumber,
My promise I must keep!

God, grant me this wish that when I awake,
Today in their life a difference I will make.

As I awake from my slumber,
My mind on my task,
I don my armor,
Again today, I walk the warrior’s path.