Hi everyone! My name is Katherine and I am a recruit at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office academy with Kevin. He’s been a good friend to me for the last 13 weeks (even though he kicked me through a wall), so when he asked me to write a little bit about my experience I knew I couldn’t turn him down. I also come from a pretty different background from most recruits and think it’s important for people to see that all sorts of people can find satisfaction and pride in police work.First thing about me: I’m not a native Coloradoan. I grew up in a really small farm town in Michigan. I just turned 29, and yes, I’m a chick. I had very little contact with any of the local police growing up: a few minor speeding tickets and one car accident. No one in my family has ever been a cop and I don’t think I’ve ever really known one personally. I didn’t form much of an opinion on the profession from those few run-ins and certainly never would have thought that I’d end up pursuing this career! I worked at a large sporting goods store all through college selling skis and snowboards and ended up moving across the country to the Colorado mountains to be a snowboard bum in 2003. I had various retail and customer service positions in Beaver Creek for four seasons, ending up as a dispatcher and driver for transportation around the resort.
After putting in a couple of great years at the Beav I was ready to really settle down and start working towards a long lasting career. I’d looked at the ads for 911 emergency dispatching in the newspaper for years and realized how similar it would be to dispatching for the resort, but with the added opportunity to feel proud of my involvement in my community. I knew I could make a positive difference in people’s lives when they needed it most. I applied in the fall of 2007 and have worked dispatching police, fire and emergency medical services since. It was the career that I’d been searching for and I was hooked!
It wasn’t long though before I realized that my real strength would be out on the street as an officer. I fell in love with the excitement and random experiences of police work right away, but my favorite part is digging through information to answer questions and solve crimes. I’ve always enjoyed puzzles and brainteasers and am really happy that I’ve found a job where I can do those things in order to benefit my community. I look forward to working on the streets for a couple of years to learn as much as I can and then working as a detective. I also really enjoy customer service and teaching and can’t wait to become a field training officer in a few years.
I think the most important thing to understand about this career is that any type of person (even with very little law enforcement experience) can find success, pride and happiness through hard work. There are so many specializations and opportunities, and no matter which ones interest you, you can find satisfaction in making your community a better place!
