Week One - Recruit Sebastian

I would like to start by introducing myself and telling you a little about my background. I was born in Germany and somehow ended up in upstate New York about 8 years ago. I completed my undergraduate studies there at a small Liberal Arts College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. While in school and over the summer time, I worked as a lifeguard, but ultimately ended up in Colorado. Here, I worked for a private investigative company over the last three years, but was finally able to fulfill my dream of going into law enforcement. After applying to half a dozen agencies I was graciously accepted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; an opportunity I could not turn down.

Our first day was January 13, 2014 and all 47 of us, entering law enforcement from all walks of life, were on time and ready to go at 7:30 a.m. I was a little worried as I missed an orientation day the week prior due to my son being born; however, the other recruits filled me in right away. The nervousness and uncertainty of what the next 22 weeks would bring was visible in every recruits face. We all decided to enter this profession and knew when we signed on the dotted line that not only the hiring process, but also what came after would not be an easy road. While the majority of recruits are from Lakewood PD and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, we also have representatives from Arvada PD, Littleton PD, Wheat Ridge PD, Golden PD, Lone Tree PD, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The first week was all about getting to know each other and figuring out what to do. We were introduced to the Criminal Justice process, had our “Wellness Test” (it was not pleasant), and had our first test on Friday. As a bonus, on Friday afternoon, we had our first taste of what to expect of the Colorado Criminal Code. I do not want to give away too much, but there is a lot you need to know and learn. Director Baca is extremely knowledgeable and certainly knows the Criminal Code inside and out. For all you Harry Potter fans out there, I would refer to Director Baca as the ‘Grand Wizard of Law’ (I hope he does not mind). That should do it for the first week.