 Good morning everyone. I'm Doug Shepman with the Denver Police Media Relations Unit and on behalf of Chief of Police Paul Payson and Denver Police Recruit Class 2019-4, welcome to our first ever Virtual Police Academy graduation. You know graduation ceremonies are among our favorite department events where recruit officers receive their badges and take the oath of office to serve this great city. And normally hundreds of excited, cheering loved ones like you get to join us here in this now practically empty auditorium. But unfortunately that wasn't possible this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines. At the same time the recruit officers who right now are outside of the auditorium keeping distance from each other have worked too hard for us to just acknowledge this graduation privately. We want to share their accomplishments with you and we thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we celebrate virtually today. More than six months ago these 49 women and men entered this academy as aspiring police officers and arson investigators. And over the course of 27 weeks the dedicated staff here at the Denver Police Training Bureau have prepared them to now go out into the community for field training and to begin serving and protecting the Denver community. At this time the Denver Police Honor Guard will present the colors. We appreciate the officers who volunteer for the Honor Guard and for the important service that they provide. You know operating an effective innovative police department requires the hard work talent and dedication of sworn officers, civilian personnel and the support of our public and private partners in the community. We thank every single person who contributed to these recruit officers reaching today's important milestone. And most importantly the department thanks you, the friends and families of recruit class 19-4 who provided your love and unfailing support throughout this rigorous process. We recognize that this was a demanding period in your daily lives and we greatly appreciate your support. At this time the executive director of the Department of Safety Murphy Robinson will share his words of encouragement for our recruits. Hello and congratulations class 19-4 of the Denver Police Academy. My name is Murphy Robinson. I'm your executive director of public safety and your chief operating officer for the city. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be here with you. I wish we could be in person. However, this is the next best thing. I tell you we are in an interesting time in our country also in the city and county of Denver. And you all have been there with us through and through and I am so happy that we can say congratulations to you and starting this new commitment to the city and county of Denver as a police officer. You are the first class to ever have to finish an academy virtually. But I will tell you that is a great start to what is going to be a rewarding career that you are going to have in the city and county of Denver to serve our citizens as police officers. This is such a fun and rewarding career that you're about to embark on. When I started my academy class as a police officer, I remember our director of the academy telling us that it's not just about wearing a badge and a gun, but it's about the people that you're going to serve. It's about the people in the grocery store that see you when you're serving off duty. It's about the people that you get to play hopscotch with in the streets during the summertime. I tell you, you are going to embark in a in a life changing experience. And I look forward to being there with you to help you to guide you and to really allow you to understand what the city and county is all about. I really appreciate the work that you've done. But first and foremost, I appreciate the dedication that you're about to give to the city and county of Denver and its citizens. I also want to thank the families that are watching right now. Thank you for supporting your recruits through this crazy time that they've been in the academy. Thank you for having a lifelong partnership with us to make sure that your recruits and should I say now your police officers stay safe and have a long and wonderful career. I want to tell you that I look forward to your service and I look forward to everything that you're going to bring as individuals, as well as a class to this great city and I look forward to seeing you out in the field. Thank you and we'll see you out there. Watch your six. Thank you, Executive Director Robinson. At this time, I will turn things over to Chief Payson. Good morning, everyone. Today is a monumentous day for the 49 women and men who will be graduating from the Denver Police Academy. It's also an exciting day for both the Denver Police Department and the Denver Fire Department. Because our graduates have chosen to apply their unique talents and experience to the safety and well-being of our Denver community, they will help us reach our goal of making Denver the safest, most equitable city in America. Over the course of the last 160 years, the Denver Police Department has faced many significant challenges. They have overcome each and every one of these and today we find ourselves in the midst of another great challenge. However, I am confident that through the women and men of the Police Department that we will overcome this COVID-19 pandemic. Our hearts go out to those in the community who have lost loved ones to this virus, as well as those who have been impacted financially by the ripple effects to our economy. Looking within the Police Department, I am incredibly proud of our officers and civilian staff and how they have risen to this challenge by delivering high-quality public safety services throughout this unprecedented health crisis. The keys to our success have been utilizing innovative ideas and being flexible as we adopt these changes in our daily practices. I believe that through this adversity, we have become an even stronger Police Department. I also believe that the graduating recruit officers will greatly benefit from this experience. They will know firsthand that they can overcome great challenges and continue to make a difference in the lives of the people of Denver. I also want to take a moment to thank the families and friends of our graduates. Thank you for supporting them during this very difficult time. Not only did they face a very rigorous and challenging academic structure, they also face the health risks that we all are dealing with during COVID-19. Your continued support will help them as they transition to the field training program and patrol. We also want to thank the amazing training staff here at the Academy who have worked outside the box to train our newest officers and two arson investigators for the next phase of their careers. And to our graduates, congratulations and thank you for all your efforts here at the Academy. Continue to learn through each call that you are on. Be vigilant and know that every interaction and every contact with each person matters. Please work to build trust with our residents. Strengthen our community relationships. It's because those partnerships are critical to enhancing the safety of our neighborhoods. Our graduating officers will affirm to faithfully perform the duties of a Denver police officer, not only to prevent crime, but to reduce social harms and treat people, all people with respect and dignity. I am excited to see the contributions that the graduating officers and fire arson investigators will accomplish during their careers. I wish each of you to stay safe and thank you. Thank you, Chief Payson. We have several awards for outstanding achievement to present now. And the supervisor for Class 19-4, Sergeant Noliketa, will present those awards now. Good morning. My name is Sergeant Noliketa, the recruit training sergeant here for the Denver Police Academy. First of all, congratulations, Class 19-4, for graduating the police academy. Before we begin the presentation of awards, I would like to thank the family and friends who sacrificed their time to help the recruits in this academy process. I would also thank the academy staff who worked very hard to make this academy class successful, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to talk about some good things that Class 19-4 did for the community. From day one, we teach the recruits about community service and teamwork. Every year we are invited to fundraise for the Special Olympics. In the spring, it's the 5K run and polar plunge. In the summer, it's the plane pull. Last year, we raised over $29,000 with these two events. Class 19-4 was invited to the 5K run and the polar plunge and raised a record-breaking amount of $28,000 to win the most money raised by a class in a fundraising event. Additionally, Officer Trevor Oliver from this class raised $3,925 to win the most money raised by an individual with this whole event. This class does an amazing job. I've watched 19-4 grow from day one and they helped each other through teamwork. When someone was struggling, they banded together and helped. They worked together as a team. I see a bright future for the Denver Police Department. In Class 19-4, I am proud to be your Sergeant. You are now my colleague, my brothers and sisters, my family. Congratulations. Now to the awards. The first award is the Academic Award, which goes to Officer Corey Campbell. The Academic Award, this goes to the recruit who scores the highest in major exams, tests, and quizzes. Congratulations. The next award is the Overall Skills Award. This award goes to Officer Andrew Lang. The Overall Skills Award, this award goes to the recruit who demonstrated top performance in arrest control, law enforcement driving, and firearms training. Congratulations. The last award is the Most Inspirational Recruit Award. This award goes to Officer Alan Sparks. The Most Inspirational Recruit Award is voted by Class 19-4 for one of their peers. This is a person who motivated another mentally or emotionally, inspires others to do their best, goes above and beyond to help other recruits, especially if they are struggling. Congratulations. Class 19-4 has also chosen a spokesperson, and that spokesperson is Officer Emily Thurby. Good morning, Chief Payson, members of the Denver Police Department, family, friends, and other honored guests. Denver Police Academy Class 19-4 is honored that you are here with us, both in person and virtually, as we join the ranks of the Denver Police Department. I am honored to have been chosen to speak on our behalf. On November 4th, 2019, the individuals here today started a 27-week journey. It is truly amazing to reflect back on day one of the Academy and see how each of us have grown. We each brought different experiences, skills, backgrounds, and motivations to the mix, yet we all had a common goal, to serve and protect the residents of Denver with pride and honor. Each day through the Academy we were challenged, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We found that as we met each of these challenges head on, they were shaping us into the group of officers you see today. This journey has required an incredible amount of discipline, commitment, and sacrifice, but most importantly, we wouldn't have made it this far without the support of each other. On the first day, Sergeant Akita preached to us how important teamwork is in being successful, not only through the Academy, but also in this career. We have built off each other's strengths and lifted each other up in weaknesses. No one suffered alone or succeeded without the support of the team. We have gone from acquaintances to friends and now family, brothers and sisters for the first time today in dark blue. We have even forgiven each other for all the runs to the berms when someone missed a cone during Divock. The leadership and training we have experienced in the Academy is like none other. The Lieutenant, Sergeant, Academy staff, and visiting instructors have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point. Their dedication to each recruit that walked through the door has been unwavering. Undoubtedly, the personal and professional sacrifice required from each staff member to get us to the finish line has been amplified by the current pandemic. For all your hard work and endless dedication, we want to thank you and we hope every day when we put this uniform on, we make you proud. I also want to thank our families and friends for your sacrifices, for the support you provided and for standing alongside us from the beginning of this journey. Long days at the Academy turned into long nights of studying, practicing skills, and nonstop conversations about police activities. And I'm sure a few of you have been placed in some type of arm control technique or have personally experienced how painful handcuffing can be when someone is first learning how to use them. So here we are, closing the chapter of our life titled Recruit Officer and opening the next, Police Officer. It has been an absolute honor to have completed this chapter alongside each of you, but our story together is not over. Although we will be shuffled around the city, we are still family with the same goal. As we proudly serve the people of Denver, I hope that we continue to lean on each other to remember what brought us here and all the people that made this possible. And now with the assistance of Chief Payson, we will recognize our graduates. Again, you can't see the recruit officers right now because they're outside of the auditorium social distancing. When I call their names in the order of their badge numbers, you will see your graduate come forward to be recognized. Our first graduate is Andrew J. James, Badge 1980. Austin P. Auger, Badge 1981. Corey H. Cambeck, Badge 1982. Kyle P. Mayberry, Badge 1983. Derek P. Diorajo, Badge 1984. Nicholas A. Betz, Badge 1985. Matthew W. Mullen, Badge 1986. Noelle A. Lovato, Badge 1987. Megan L. Ladd, Badge 1988. Jessica A. Guillemay, Badge 1989. Ann M. Sparks, Badge 1990. Melissa A. Martin, Badge 1991. Jesse T. Ball, Badge 1992. Kelly M. McDonald, Badge 1993. Brian J. Anzurus, Badge 1994. Emily M. Thurbey, Badge 1995. Andrew M. Ulstrom, Badge 1996. Jordan S. Ruhl, Badge 1997. Hans B. Juergens, Badge 1998. Nicholas D. Hanks, Badge 1999. Santana M. Pineda, Badge 1900. Kimberly A. Leon, Badge 19-101. Grislett Bernal Blanco, Badge 19-102. Ronald B. Sampson III, Badge 19-103. Andrew R. Lang, Badge 19-104. David I. Workman, Badge 19-105. Jessica M. Mandis, Badge 19-106. Namir G. Lopez, Badge 19-107. Thomas G. Horton, Firefighter Badge 07-15. In order to become a Denver Fire Arson Investigator, firefighters attend the Denver Police Academy to obtain the necessary peace officer certification. Anthony J. Puriso, Firefighter Badge 98-35. Luis E. Cortez, Badge 19-108. Pablo E. Carrera, Badge 19-109. E. A. Yeo, Badge 19-110. Brandon A. Yazgulian, Badge 19-111. Janet L. Poros, Badge 19-112. Heather C. Floyd, Badge 19-113. Oyuki G. Ramirez, Badge 19-114. Selena B. Ruiz Solis, Badge 19-115. Rodolfo Gonzalez, Badge 19-116. Nicole I. Himes, Badge 19-117. Trevor A. Oliver, Badge 19-118. Jonathan Moran, Badge 19-119. Anthony E. Miller, Badge 19-120. Brandon F. Ramos, Badge 19-121. Christopher R. Collins, Badge 19-122. Renzo J. Lanan, Badge 19-123. Michael Cow, Badge 19-124. Megan E. Liberson, Badge 19-125. And Christopher J. Wolfe, Badge 19-126. Again, because of social distancing requirements and the goal of keeping our recruits and staff healthy, the final weeks of their academy training was done through remote video conferencing. And our graduates took the oath of office in the same way. With the presiding judge of the Denver County Courts, the Honorable Teresa Spahn presiding. First of all, I want to say that I'm honored and privileged to be the person that swears you in today. And if I can ask everybody to raise their right hand. Good, I can see everybody raising their right hand. And then just repeat after me. First of all, say I in state your name. Do so only, sir. By the ever-living God. By the ever-living God. That I will support the Constitution. That I will support the Constitution. Of the United States. Of the United States. And the state of Colorado. And the state of Colorado. And the charter. And the charter. And ordinances. And ordinances. Of the city and county of Denver. Of the city and county of Denver. And I will faithfully. And I will faithfully. Perform. Perform. The duties of. The duties of. Denver police officer. Denver police officer. Of the city and county of Denver. Of the city and county of Denver. To which I've been appointed. To which I've been appointed. And I'm about to enter. And I'm about to enter. Congratulations everybody. So exciting. Yay! You made it. Congratulations to our graduates on this great accomplishment. The department is incredibly proud of you. In closing, thank you all again for joining us today. Needless to say, this has been a unique experience for all of us. We miss seeing you. Our enthusiastic and supportive DPD family. Here in the auditorium celebrating and cheering for your loved ones. Who have chosen to make a profound impact. On the safety and lives of our neighbors. On behalf of the entire Denver police department. We wish you good health. Happiness and safety. And to all the moms out there. Including mine who's watching from 1400 miles away. Happy mother's day. Happy mother's day everyone.