I was lucky enough to get the chance to give our class’ graduation speech today. Below is a copy.
The day was a good one.
Jefferson County Law Enforcement Academy Class 2009-01
Graduation Speech
It’s an honor and a privilege to be speaking to you all, and to be speaking for the class today. I would like to thank Sheriff Mink, Undersheriff Fleer and every one of our friends, our family, our instructors and command staff for joining us in the celebration of this day.
From the very start of the academy we’ve been surrounded by some extraordinary people who have taught us, who have led us, who have given their best to shape our minds, our thinking and inevitably shape our careers as Peace Officers. From our very first day I was struck with the force and the honesty of what many of these instructors had to say. From powerful, personal stories of struggle and ultimate growth, to impassioned appeals directing us to seek excellence in all that we do – most every message, most every lesson was one given by an individual bearing a bit of their soul with a seasoned kind of humble honesty which only life and life’s experiences can cultivate.
I would like to thank our command staff and the administrators of the academy for placing these extraordinary people in front us, every day. I know that I and every one of my fellow recruits will have some very potent, some very long lasting memories of each of you and of the knowledge that you gave.
Thank you Captain W….. , for teaching us to write a proper and thorough report; and to never click a pen in a Captain’s presence again.
Thank you Captain S…… and Lieutenant W……. for organizing and maintaining one of the best law enforcement academies in the state; and for giving us the easiest and most anti-climactic Friday morning command inspections we could have imagined.
Sgt. B…….. I was never quite sure if there was a hidden message behind one of the department’s toughest, gruffest and brawniest sergeants teaching a decidedly PC topic such as Community Policing, but I wanted to let you know that your honesty and your openness on your experiences at Columbine touched us all very deeply.
Investigator S…... Your classes were always the coolest.
Sgt. W…. Your stories were always the best, and your appearance always the most highly groomed.
Deputy V……. Your biceps were the biggest.
Sgt. B…….. Your skills in a car were impressive, your stories were great, and incidentally you became our best and most prolific nickname-giver, providing us names like ‘Angel’ (i.e. Charlie’s Angels) given to the guy over there who will probably start laughing nervously right about now.
Officer O….. You were our Samurai sensei. We all had images of you in a white suit and sunglasses, doing back-flips before taking a stance like something from the Matrix and shooting 5 bad guys between the eyes from a pair of handguns that mysteriously appeared from your shirtsleeves.
Sgt. DeA….. and Sgt. De…... We sat in your classes like kids just confronted by their childhood heroes, wide-eyed and inspired.
DA’s Mark Pautler and Mark Randall. I was tempted to write the Denver Post and to explain to them that from what I saw and learned in your law classes, both of you are absolutely worth every penny as the highest paid employees in Jefferson County.
Sgt. Wh….. Our vocabularies have been infinitely expanded with your help. Unfortunately I cannot repeat any of those words here…
Deputy S……... Your nickname to all of us was Hollywood. Rare is the arrest control instructor who can wear Gucci sunglasses and a spray tan and get away with it. You were the exception. You taught us to take care of ourselves and you did it with class, and even broke an arm in the process. Even the Israelis would be impressed.
Sgt. W…... From day one, I felt like a member of the audience of the Tonight Show, every time you’d speak to the class. There’s an uncanny physical resemblance and I believe that you’re every bit as funny as Jay Leno. You were always there to accentuate a particularly important piece of instruction, there to encourage, there to instruct.
Deputy H……. Our lead firearms instructor and Deputy J’s other half and complement. At times it appeared to us that there was a purposeful mother/father or good cop/bad cop dynamic between the two of you. Deputy J would scold us, and you would offer us some bit of comforting, quiet humor. You taught us firearms with skill and devotion and ran the training range like a quiet general. Thank you, Mom.
And finally, to our coordinator, Deputy J.
Sir, I am still, and will always be afraid of you.
You were quick to anger, yet equally quick to laughter, and even tears. It happened on more than one occasion when, during the drudgery of a class on statutes the monotony would be interrupted by an outburst of your laughter, heard even through solid walls and a closed door. We would all share in a collective smile.
We had the pleasure of getting to know your daughter from the stories you told, and the messages you relayed: “Ashley says HI….” (for instance)
We even received gifts from time to time. Thank you Ashley, for my surfboard.
Sir, even without the pushups, and even without the military etiquette, you instilled in every one of us a deep respect for the badge and a deep respect for the duty shared by each individual wearing the gold star. Your presence alone commanded respect and in my mind you are the epitome of a strong and thinking Sheriff’s Deputy, our department’s own John Wayne.
None of our instructors ever hid from us the seriousness of the profession that we are entering. Nothing was ever sugar coated. As peace officers we will now be part of the thin blue line, (or in JeffCo’s case, the thin green line), where battles are fought daily between opposing extremes – life and death, justice and villainy, peace and chaos.
I mentioned earlier the theme of honesty which was present throughout our days. After this afternoon each one of my classmates will be a part of system which, when one looks closely, is truly remarkable by virtue of the limits it places on itself, the self reflection it ensures; the self effacement it demands. We are now part of the law, now the enforcers of society’s own check, which society has placed upon itself to ensure that justice be done and that the innocent be protected. We are the protectors of democracy’s freedoms, and of democracy’s inherent demand of structure and order.
Because of our time here we will take these duties to heart. We will laugh when we can and we will fight when we must, but always, with honesty and dignity will we serve and protect, by courage and arms. Thank you.
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