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THE DETAIL NEWSLETTER July 2022

SHERIFF CREATES A NEW POLICE ACADEMY

First recruit class begins July 11

Two years ago, when Sheriff Tyler Brown raised the idea of a new police academy run solely by the ACSO, Sgt. Quinn Cunningham had no idea just how much time and effort would be involved.

"This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done professionally and the biggest project we've ever taken on as an agency," says Sgt. Quinn Cunningham, Academy Director.
Sgt. Cunningham marks the final 'approval' on his whiteboard June 9 when the state gave the new academy the green light

Sgt. Cunningham, the Academy Director, spent day and night for 18 months, meticulously planning the new ACSO Training Academy.

"We built our own lesson plan from the ground up. Our deputies will do more scenario-based training and more problem-solving than most agencies in this country," says Sgt. Cunningham.

After decades of relying on different agencies to train its recruits, Sheriff Brown won final approval from P.O.S.T., Colorado's Peace Officers Standards and Training Unit, to operate his own academy -- where the ACSO will not only recruit and hire, but train its own deputies with higher standards and expectations that mirror some of the best agencies in the nation.

"One of the nice things about having our own academy is we can be selective in our process and ensure our deputies are trained in our culture of accreditation and excellence in community service," says Sheriff Tyler Brown.
Former recruits in training

The first class of 28 recruits begins July 11. They will then spend the next 23 weeks undergoing rigorous training at the Sheriff's Office Headquarters in Centennial with firearms training at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility.

Once the recruits graduate in December 2022, they'll begin working as deputies in the Arapahoe County Jail for a minimum of one year, at which point they can transfer into patrol with field training on the road.

"One of the biggest reasons we created our own academy was to move our non-certified deputies to P.O.S.T.-trained law enforcement officers and also to expand our response to large-scale situations outside the detention facility," says Sheriff Brown.
"Our goal is to make these individuals better than when they got here. It’s a chapter in their life where they will have changed for the positive," says Sgt. Cunningham.

Sgt. Cunningham says he's looking forward to July 11 when the first class begins. But what he's really looking forward to is a little R&R. Now that the bulk of his work is done, he can finally put down his favorite book.

If you'd like to apply to become a Deputy Sheriff and attend our new police academy, click the button below to get started. Look for the job titled Deputy Sheriff - Recruit.

NEW TRAFFIC COP WINS 'TOP GUN' AWARD

Deputy gets near-perfect score in Basic Motor Course

Deputy James Mason spent six years as a School Resource Officer at Eaglecrest High School. But this year, he was ready to try something new.

Deputies Mason and Escamilla pose with students at EHS

He had ridden motorcycles when he was younger and enjoyed it so much, he put his name in to become a traffic cop. Little did he know, he would turn out to be the best in his training class.

Deputy Mason took the required 80-hour basic motor course in Jefferson County with 13 other officers from different law enforcement agencies. Out of the 13, only 7 became certified. The class is a tough one to pass. The final testing phase involved maneuvering through cone patterns at various speeds.

"It was very hot that day and extremely challenging, sometimes frustrating and mentally exhausting, but we all did it together and it really built camaraderie," says Deputy Mason.
Deputy Mason completing the final phase of motor training

Mason walked away with the 'Top Gun' award and the highest score in the class -- 97 out of 100. The average scores of the other officers was 75-90.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office presented Mason with this gift for the highest score

Now that he's completed the basic motor course, Mason will ride with a Field Training Officer for 16 hours before he hits the streets alone.

Deputy Robson, Field Training Officer (right), works with Deputy Mason to enforce speed laws using laser guns
"Nobody likes to get a ticket for speeding, but so far, I've found most people seem to be understanding and will hopefully slow down," says Mason.

Another part of being a traffic cop is participating in motorcades. Mason also completed an additional 10 hours of training for that.

Members of the traffic team escort an ambulance transporting a critically injured police officer in July 2020
"I love the motorcades. It gives honor and respect to a fallen officer, firefighter or military personnel," says Deputy Mason. "Just paying those last respects, I'm honored to be able to do that."

Within a few weeks, Deputy Mason will be officially assigned as a 'county unit,' which means you'll see him enforcing traffic laws all over Arapahoe County. Just remember, if you do see him: slow down, drive the speed limit and if you get pulled over, be courteous. A friendly attitude can go a long way!

MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MOOSE

When Gene and Mindy Enley's wood carved moose was stolen from their front porch in Centennial they never expected to get it back. Mindy was more hopeful. She's had the moose for 20 years. Gene was more skeptical. He told Mindy, "You will never see that moose again."

Needless to say, Mindy was not amoosed. So she went on the Nextdoor app and posted photos of her missing moose, when all of a sudden she got a reply, "I know who has your moose and here is their address." Then, another anonymoose message.

"I have your moose and I'm sorry. I want to return it."

Make no moosetake, Mindy wasted no time and immediately called the sheriff's office. Two of our finest deputies responded -- Deputy Jared Hazel and Deputy Chase Piker.

The two went on a wild moose chase, picked up the beloved wood carving, strapped it into their patrol car, and brought it home to the Enley's.

The recovered moose

Gene Enley wrote us a letter to say "great work," but that's not the only thing he wanted to tell us. Read his sweet note below and learn how our deputies made a huge impact on their family.

Oh, and don't let us forget the moral of the story: Don't moose with the Enley family!

Lawson Enley ready to join the U.S. Marine Corps

HAVE A SAFE 4TH OF JULY

4th of July is right around the corner and we want to remind residents that Arapahoe County is under a Stage 1 Burn Ban. Here are the restrictions:

Not Allowed:

  • No open burning of any kind without a permit from the appropriate fire district.

Allowed:

  • In Unincorporated Arapahoe County, only fireworks that are legal in the State of Colorado are allowed until end of day July 5
  • Fires contained within liquid-fueled or gas stoves
  • Fireplaces and wood burning stoves within buildings
  • Propane or natural gas BBQ grills and charcoal grills and pits used for cooking or warming food which which do not produce or emit sparks or embers
  • Tiki torches, chimineas or other portable fireplaces or patio fire pits allowed by code. Fires must be supervised by a responsible person at least 18 years of age.
  • Small recreational fires at a developed picnic or campground sites contained in fixed permanent metal/steel fire pits (rock fire rings are considered temporary and not permanent) with flame lengths not in excess of four feet.
  • Fire suppression or fire department training fires.

Professional fireworks displays are permitted according to section 12-28-103 of the C.R.S.

Violation of these fire restrictions is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine.

TEENS LEARN POLICE WORK

Every summer, The Arapahoe Sheriff School Resource Officers hold a Youth Academy, where they invite 20 teenagers, ages 14-18 to get an inside look at the sheriff's office. They not only get classroom instruction and lectures, but they also get to role play and train with the deputies.

"This year was unique because most of our youth came from in-house -- family and friends of our employees. It was nice to see that type of interest," says Sgt. Matt Cleveland.

The kids did team building, learned firearm safety, hostage negotiations and traffic stop procedures. They watched the drones fly and got an up-close look at the SWAT team, Bomb Squad, K9's and the crime lab. Our school therapy dogs and the mounted patrol unit also made appearances as well.

The Youth Academy is a week long and takes place once a year in early June. Sgt. Matt Cleveland who runs the program, says the goal is to build positive interactions with the youth and educate them about the challenges and responsibilities of police work.

“We want to teach kids an appreciation for what we do and at the same time humanize our job and show them that we're just regular people and dads," says Cleveland.
Group photo on the final day of the Youth Academy

ARAPAHOE HIGH SCHOOL 'FIRST RESPONDERS CLUB'

When School Resource Officers James Englert and Dan Tipton launched a "First Responders Club" at Arapahoe High School this year, they had no idea if kids would be interested.

SROs Deputy James Englert (left) and Deputy Dan Tipton (right)
"We wanted to expose them to ALL first responders, not just police, but also firefighters, doctors, nurses, paramedics and more," says Deputy Dan Tipton.

The First Responders Club started meeting twice a month this past school year. Students who were interested in engaging with first responders began showing up. Then more and more kids came and the club quickly grew. It was a way to build positive relationships between first responders and the kids.

"We've had the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, Army and Marine Recruiters, Arapahoe Rescue Patrol, you name it, we brought them in to speak," says Deputy Englert.
Sgt. Matt Davis of Investigations meets with the AHS First Responders Club at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office

This summer, Deputies Englert and Tipton held a summer camp for the club. Students spent time at the sheriff's office and county jail, FBI Headquarters, Denver Fire Station 22, St. Anthony Central Hospital and Flight for Life.

"We’re just goofballs," says Deputy Englert. "Once you get to know us, we’re not that serious. We want to be more approachable to these kids and that's what we're hoping this club will achieve."

FREE SUMMER YOUTH CAMP

The Arapahoe County Sheriff School Resource Officers are hosting a handful of day camps in the month of July to provide more activities for local youth ages 8-12 and 13-17. The camps are FREE and will run from 9 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The SROs will provide lunch and ice cream. See the schedule below and sign up quickly before the July camps fill up!

SUMMER YOUTH CAMP PHOTOS

NOTE OF THANKS

Save the date for more FREE summer family fun!

Watch the video of the 2021 Open House. You don't want to miss it!

And finally... hop on the 🎠 for another round of FUN this summer! Tickets on sale now for the Arapahoe County Fair.