Weeks 16 and 17--Recruit Fratto

First off I want to apologize for taking another week off without a post. I have been studying and preparing for the four tests I have in Week 17. Next week we have our Arrest Control physical test, written test, ASP test and our regular Week 17 test. Needless to say I have had my hands full! Well, enough with the excuses and on to Week 16. 

Monday started with Director Baca’s review on the C.R.S. He takes what we learned in six weeks and condenses it down to a 15-page packet that he covers in four hours! We are starting to get into the “play-offs” according to Director Baca, and have to start studying for the P.O.S.T. exam.

On Tuesday we went over to the Colorado Mills Mall once again for vehicle stops. This time our instructors taught us about high risk traffic stops, also known as felony stops. Even knowing that these are practical exercises, it still gets your adrenaline going during these stops. These are the calls that officers get excited for! It is the opportunity to get a very bad person off the streets.  One good tip for recruits following our class: put your car in park. If not, it will drive away and hit a wall! One of our recruits learned that lesson the hard way. Good thing it was a Lakewood car and not a Jeffco car! I’m kidding on the last part, and thankfully it didn't do any damage, but according to squad ‘B’ it was quite comical and a great learning point.

We ended the week with the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. This year the memorial hit home a little bit more for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. This year Sergeant Dave Baldwin was honored at the memorial. For those readers who don’t know what happened to Sergeant Baldwin, here is the link on the Officer Down Memorial Page:

http://www.odmp.org/officer/21922-sergeant-david-m-baldwin

I unfortunately didn't get to meet Sergeant Baldwin, but from what I heard from other Jeffco deputies and officers from departments all over the metro area, he was a phenomenal officer. He is the type of cop that anyone would love to mold their career around. My condolences to the Baldwin family. Sergeant Baldwin is a true hero and was a great police officer. It was truly an amazing feeling to be a part of the memorial. For the first time I think we as a class felt a part of something bigger. All year there is a separator between the recruits and our instructors, but here we were all dressed in our Class ‘A’ uniforms, and here as one to honor the great officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. It was a great ending to the week, and I am so honored to be a part of this profession.

Week 17 started out with our driving lecture. This is one portion of the curriculum that I am very excited to get into. From age 13 to 19 I raced all around the county and in Canada in a sprint car. This isn't the same thing as racing, but any chance I get to drive cars and improve my skills is greatly welcomed. I am hoping to help Jeffco take home the trophy for the best driver! Sergeant Baughman did warn us that there was a recruit who raced last class, and that he tried going for the record, and ended up messing up. So we have to make sure to focus on technique, and not try to beat the records and the speed will come smoothly. The unfortunate thing is that we don’t drive until Week 21, so this lecture was just a tease of what is to come.  

Like I stated in my previous blog, this week is really all about Arrest Control testing. We have been studying, and perfecting Arrest Control tactics for the last nine weeks, and are about as ready as we can be to test out. Everyone truly looked great during testing, and I would feel completely safe having anyone of my fellow recruits helping me on the street. It feels really good to get another skill completed, and now only having driving and our P.O.S.T. exam to concentrate on.

Oh yeah, and did I mention next week we get sprayed with O.C. spray? I am dreading this far more than I did the Taser. The Taser at least stops after our 5-second hit whereas the O.C. spray lingers all night. I joked with a few of the recruits that I can’t even get shampoo in my eyes with wanting to cry, so needless to say I am regretting that day!

The week ended with our 13^th weekly test. Only two more weekly tests to go, and 32 days until our P.O.S.T. test! It is all downhill from here!