Week 20--Guest Post from Recruit Brittany Allen

Hello, my name is Recruit Allen and I am filling out the blog for Week 20 of our academy. 

This week has been by far one of the most rewarding weeks in the academy. I would say that the theme of the week was heroism.

As many of you probably know, this was another tough week for the law enforcement family. We once again said goodbye to another officer: Colorado State Patrol Trooper Cadet Taylor Thyfault. I did not have the pleasure of meeting him, but from what I have seen and heard, he touched a lot of hearts. 

As a unit, we went on a memorial run from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Headquarters to the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial located at Colorado State Patrol. When we made it to the facility we all stood in front of the memorial, bowed our heads and took a moment of silence to honor Trooper Taylor Thyfault. 

After our salute and moment of silence we were greeted by Trooper Thyfault's classmates. This time we stood as a group while the American flag was brought down. I have never seen so many people willing to work together for a cause.

All of the recruits showed that they are selfless and want to make a difference in the law enforcement community. I looked at my partners in a new light on Tuesday and can truly say I am proud to be a part of this amazing team.

On Tuesday we learned about traffic control. The best way to learn is by getting out there and that is exactly what we did. The class was split into eight groups and we all went to our respective locations. Once at the location, we watched as city workers turned off the traffic lights. The game was on. Every recruit had the opportunity to stop and direct traffic individually as well as with a partner.

Wednesday we spent the day with Academy Director Baca reviewing the material we learned over the last 19 weeks. Director Baca was able to ask us questions and the responses from recruits showed we were comfortable with the material.

Thursday we spent the day learning CPR and First Aid techniques. After four hours in the classroom we were put to work. There were four scenarios set up giving us all a new perspective on what we may encounter on the streets. I never thought about what I would do if I was to encounter an unconscious person in a vehicle or how I would react to a pedestrian that had been hit by a vehicle and was now lying in the street. 

The scenarios we approached showed me there is no limit to what we do in this job and we should always be mentally prepared to perform at the best of our abilities.

Friday was our last academy test. Once again it showed that we have all improved so much over the past 19 weeks. Everyone passed and we were all in good graces. We finished the day with another workout called Murph. 

This workout was created by Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy. This workout was one of Lieutenant Murphy’s favorite workouts. Lieutenant Murphy lost his life in Afghanistan in 2005. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor after his death. For those of you who don’t know, the Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force.

A week and a half left! Lets get‘er done!