 Good morning. I'm Technician Jake Casillas with the Denver Police Meteor Relations Unit and on behalf of the Denver Police Department I welcome each of you to this graduation ceremony. A few months ago these 16 men and women entered this building aspiring to become Denver police officers and over the course of 18 weeks the dedicated staff here at the Denver Police Training Bureau have prepared those latter recruit officers to now go out into the community for field training and continue their careers serving and protecting the people of Denver. Now it is my honor to introduce Denver Police lateral class 22-2. Sergeant Kenyones, at this time will you please stand if you are able for the presentation of the colors by the Denver Police Honor Guard? Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Please remain standing for the invocation delivered by Denver Police Chaplain, read by Elliot Baskin. Let us bow our heads for a moment of prayer and Thanksgiving. A eternal source of life and blessing. We gather here today beaming with pride for these men and women of our Denver Police Department who are assembled here as they graduate from our police academy as lateral graduates. We shower these experienced officers with joy and love and your eternal blessings. We are assembled here along with their co-workers, family, friends, and distinguished guests to acknowledge this milestone in their lives. Each and every day all the members of our Denver Police Department do their best to improve the quality of life in our city as our officers give unselfishly of themselves to serve and protect our great city. May these new officers go forth with your protection, with the shield of your love and the support of their loved ones. We ask for your guidance and wisdom as they serve and protect our great community. May all who are assembled this day be blessed in your holy name. As together we say, Amen. Thank you, Captain Baskin. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Again, on behalf of the Denver Police Department and Recruit Class 222, welcome. This is a long-awaited moment for our 16 new officers, and we thank you for being here to celebrate this accomplishment with them. Operating an effective, innovative police department requires the hard work, talent, and dedication of sworn and civilian personnel. And the support of our public and private partners in the community. At this time, I'll invite Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Public Safety, Mary Dulaki, to address our recruits. Good morning. This is a great day. The first frost is kind of invigorating and to start a weekend with this kind of celebration is really a nice way to enter into fall. On behalf of Executive Director Saldate, he extends his regrets that he couldn't be here. He decided not to make this a super spreader event as he woke up sick and he wasn't sure what he's got. So I'm happy and I'm honored to be here for him. I also bear the regrets of the mayor who was unable to attend as he is out of town. Mayor Michael B. Hancock truly enjoys these ceremonies. He wanted to be here to welcome you to Denver and the Denver family. So on behalf of him, I extend those wishes. You may have seen that there's some changes since you started the academy. Burton has a new prime minister, there's some other big news, Elon Musk took over Twitter, and we've got a new police chief. Chief Ron Thomas, I've been privileged to know for the last 16 years when I've worked with the Department of Safety. I will tell you that he is a man of quiet dignity. He is a man who thinks before acting. He's intelligent, he's experienced, he's thoughtful, and he will be a great leader for this department. You and the folks of the City and County of Denver are in great hands. As Technician Casillas alluded to, a huge thank you to the friends and families who have supported these new officers in this transition in their lives. Some of you have moved across the country, some of you have uprooted your children, changed schools so that these officers can continue in putting others before themselves and pursue their career with the City of Denver. We thank them for choosing Denver, but we thank you for supporting them in that choice. Being a loved one of an officer is never easy. You celebrate Thanksgiving on Tuesday. Christmas is often Santa's delayed because there's so many people in the world, Santa's coming on the 26th. You have delayed anniversaries, delayed birthday parties. You sit at home waiting to really fall asleep until you hear that door closed. You've all experienced that already as these are lateral officers, and you're going to continue to experience that. And for that we thank you. We also want to offer you the support of the Department of Safety family. We are here to support you. As you all have uncovered in your previous departments, people who aren't married or have a son or a daughter who is in the police department don't quite get it. They don't quite get that gnawing feeling in your gut. So you search out the people who do. The brothers and the sisters and wives and husbands of people who are in the department. We are there for you. You're now part of the DPD family and we thank you. Another big round of thanks is going to the Academy staff. We have asked you to jump forward, backward, do triple flips upside down as you've handled two simultaneous academies. And we've asked you to change curriculums at the drop of a hat. I understand, Lieutenant Fulmer, how many times you probably cringe when you get an email or a directive or something else coming out of our office. We thank you. We thank you for your abilities, all of your staff for your abilities to pivot, to change direction. Thank you all. You've done a tremendous job preparing these new officers. And now to you new officers. Thank you for bringing your skills and your experience to Denver. We value that immensely. Thank you for sharing your experience with your fellow officers here, as well as once you hit the street. It's said that there's never been a more difficult time to be a police officer and most of us would probably agree with that. We expect more of you. We expect more of you than sometimes you're able to give. We expect a higher standard from you. That is something that you've agreed to accept. And we thank you for that. Thank you for placing this badge on you today. When you place that badge, remember what that badge represents. That badge says that you will act with dignity, that you will act with honor, that you will act with respect for others, that you will do the best that you are capable of doing every single day. Even when you're tired, even when you're met with far less respect than anyone should ever be met with. Thank you for doing that. When you put that badge on, you put the badge that represents all of those who've gone before you. Some who've paid the ultimate sacrifice. Remember that every single day when you look at that badge and honor their legacy and their memory. Take care of each other. Take care of yourselves. May God bless you and protect you. Thank you. Thank you, Chief Deputy Director. And now, Chief Thomas would like to share his words of encouragement with the graduating recruit officers. Good morning. I appreciate you all for coming here as we celebrate today. First, let me say to the friends and family of these graduates, thank you for supporting your loved ones as they continue their dedicated service to the community with the Denver Police Department. Please know that you are joining a very strong and close knit family who will be there to celebrate your successes and support you during challenging times. Secondly, to our great Academy staff and guest trainers, I want to say thank you for providing these officers who are new to our department with first class instruction on how we serve the community here in Denver. Not to our graduates. Thank you for choosing to continue your life of service with the Denver Police Department. As I'm sure you've recognized, the Denver Police officers are truly a cut above. We have very high expectations of you, but I am quite confident that you will meet them. Soon you will be reciting your oath, and I ask you to remind yourself of that oath and your commitment to the residents of Denver every day. Understand that we only have the authority as officers because it's been granted to us by those we serve, and as those we serve, I expect that you will always treat with dignity, fairness, and compassion. Again, thank you for signing up to continue doing a job that you know is challenging but gives you a great opportunity every day to make a positive difference in our community. Congratulations on your graduation, but understand there's still a challenge ahead. I'm expecting you to honor your responsibility and remember that trust is only earned through respect and fairness. Thank you. Thank you, Chief Thoms. We have several awards for outstanding achievement to present today, and Director of Training Lieutenant Michelle Fulmer and Class Supervisor Sergeant Virginia Quinones will now present those awards. Good morning. Thank you all for being here today to share in this extremely special and happy day. My name is Michelle Fulmer and I am the Director of Training here at the Denver Police Academy. In just a few short minutes, these lateral recruits will be sworn in as Denver police officers and receive their badge. First, I want to acknowledge all the outstanding work that our Academy staff and professional staff have performed. I also want to thank you, the friends and family, and all for all the love, support, and encouragement you have given these lateral recruit officers over the last four months. Like for them, this may, for many of you, is not your first Academy. We appreciate the leap of faith and effort it takes to leave your previous department and begin again. I've heard reasons like why Denver for better opportunity, more growth options, of course pay, but most of all the ability to serve the public with a nationally recognized police department known for its innovation and community care. No doubt these now Denver police officers will continue that commitment as they meld their experience along with the knowledge and lessons learned from their new blue family to continue their service and protection of their new community. Thank you to you all, to our esteemed guests, and congratulations to 22-2. Before we present the awards for our top recruits, I want to introduce our recruit class sergeant, Sergeant Virginia Kignones. Good morning to the family, loved ones, and friends of our recruits. Thank you. Thank you for taking this journey with us. It has been a long six months, or excuse me shortened obviously for the laterals, but not only for them, but for you all as well. To class 22-2, I say thank you. Thank you for pursuing this career once again and making that decision to come join the Denver Police Department family. I know this is a time when many might not be quite so eager to put on the uniform and the badge. But not only did you leave your organizations, but you wanted to continue your career serving your community with us, Denver Police Department. I would like to say continue to hold your head high and be proud as you take the oath to continue to protect and serve the citizens within our community. You have developed bonds and friendships over the last few months with your fellow recruits, cherish the time spent with each other, do not lose those friendships. Go out and represent not only the Denver Police Department, but law enforcement officers everywhere to the very highest of standards. And may you always have the same pride over the years that I have carried with me for the past 34. Be that officer, continue to be that officer that you would want showing up on the doorstep of your family and your loved ones. God bless and please always be safe. And at this time, I'd like to introduce Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and invited to the stage to present the award for highest score on our law test. Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here. It's an honor for me to be here. This is one of the really fun things about this job is that I get to attend these ceremonies with our new Denver Police officers. And I want to join the others in thanking the families, the friends who are here to support your loved ones and those of you who've been supporting them over the past several months as they go through what I know is sometimes a pretty grueling and challenging training sessions. So we really appreciate the fact that Denver has a great community and a community of support for our Denver Police Department. And it's a real honor to welcome laterals into the department. These are young people. Well, maybe they're not all young, but they all look young to me. People who have chosen the profession of being a police officer have served in other communities and are now willing to join us here in the Denver area and join the Denver Police Department, which is a department that is well known throughout the country for innovation and service. So, you know, one of the things that always kind of amazes me about being a Denver Police officer is that not only do you have to learn how to be a police officer, so how to drive those cars, how to make the arrests, how to handle crowds, how to deal with difficult situations, we really kind of expect you to be lawyers too. And as you are out in the field, you have to make some pretty split second decisions, like do I have enough to make that search or do I have to get a search warrant? Can I make an arrest? Do I have probable cause for an arrest? Will this stand up in court if it's challenged? Those are tough calls and we really appreciate that the Denver Academy has members of my office come and participate in trainings to help officers understand what the legal requirements are on a day-to-day basis. And then again, you never know when that arrest you make or that search you conduct or that crime that you witness is going to result in your being called to testify in court, so which is also a very stressful and demanding position to be in. So we really appreciate that our Denver Police officers are well trained in the law and that we work closely with them to make sure that at all times, the rights of those with whom they interact are protected and that they are following our constitutional requirements as well as our statutory requirements. So it's also a very challenging training program for the legal aspects of being a Denver Police officer. So I am honored to be able to present the legal number one rank in legal education from the Denver Police Academy to Eric Tahada. So Officer Tahada. So you want to stand here. I'm going to read this to you. Eric Tahada. It says basic recoup but we're going to change that to lateral. Class 2222, number one rank legal education in recognition of your outstanding performance in the district attorney's legal education course. Congratulations on a job very well done. Have a great career. Thank you ma'am. Congratulations. Now I'd like to present the DPD Academy Awards. The first award is the academic award. This award goes to the recruit officer that scored the highest on academic scores. For class 222, the academic award goes to Eric Tahada. Congratulations. The second award is the overall skills award. This award goes to the recruit that demonstrated top performance in arrest control, driving, scenarios, and firearms. For class 222, the overall skills award goes to Michael Carlton. Congratulations. The third and final award is the most inspirational recruit award. This is a special award because it is voted upon by their class. The awardee is a person who inspires others to do their best when met with challenges and to overcome them. Class 222 has voted that the most inspirational recruit award goes to Brandon Gridlick. Congratulations. Class 222 has also chosen a spokesperson to speak on their behalf. Michael Kim, please come to the stage. Good morning. Deputy Executive Director Delaki, Chief Thomas, members of senior DPD Command staff, and distinguished guests. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you all today. Just as importantly, thank you to all of our friends and family for spending the morning with us here in this hangar, where we spent a pretty good chunk of our last four months to join us as we take our first steps into our journey as Denver police officers. My name is Michael Kim, and my classmates have honored me with the opportunity to share with you today the story of Class 222. Since being selected to carry out this task, I've spent a good amount of time reflecting on my classmates. Our class has over 100 collective years of law enforcement experience among us, with 10 years ranging from just a few years to nearly two decades. We are local metro area officers and state troopers who literally came across the street to Denver, trading in our suburban black and whites for the chance to drive big white. We are officers from other major metropolitan cities like New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Harris County, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, who uprooted our lives to take a leap of iron willed faith that we would be successful here. We worked in patrol and patrol, and specialized units, anti-crime teams, task forces, youth services, highway enforcement, and SWAT. All of it was shrugged off in search of a sense of fulfillment and to seize a shining opportunity to best serve the community that we are a part of. I can't tell the story of Lateral Class 222 without at least touching on our first day here at the Academy. We recruits knew nothing of what to expect other than what was in the candidate welcome packet that we all received in the days prior to our arrival. Wear a suit and tie. Park backed in along the south fence line. Bring PT gear. Hydrate. Do not enter through any doors other than the recruit entrance and no earlier than 0700. So at 0700 on the dot, we walked through those doors beneath a sign that reads the more used to what here, the less you'll bleed on the street. Our careers as Denver police officers had begun. And during that time, that time in our lives, time itself acted a little funny, did some funny things. As the hours of that first day stretched on into the rest of the week, time seemed to crawl. I remember coming home sometime during that first week and showing the 18 week schedule to my wife who herself spent five years as an academy instructor for her department. I remember feeling as if I might not have made the right choice to come to a new agency, much less one with such exacting standards and training as DPD. Like other good wives around the world, she patiently listened as I vented, griped, and generally wasted my time feeling sorry for myself. Then the former academy instructor that I was married to asserted herself. She said I could complain, which would probably lead to quitting or I could suck it up and do the work that was required and expected of me. There were no other paths. From then on, she suggested that I separate, that I separate every page of that schedule and focus only on the week directly in front of me, one page at a time without looking further ahead. With that single perspective change for me, life got much simpler. Everyone else in our class must have had similar discussions at home because we then became laser focused on making it to October 28th and beyond. Now, since those early days in June, much has changed. Our fitness and nutrition habits, the size of our duty belts, the way we carry ourselves, our knowledge of not just Colorado criminal law, but Denver municipal ordinances and processes and procedures that are unique to working in a consolidated city and county. Even the sweltering 95 degree June temperatures that punctuated our earliest days here in this gym have given way to a brisk Denver fall with winter close on its heels. We went from taking our lunch breaks outside the sun to eating inside with jackets on. Nearly everything is different. The one thing that has not changed, however, has not ever wavered is our commitment to this organization. Our desire to do the important work in the interests of seeking justice for victims of crime and the community in need remains paramount. We want it so bad that we can taste it. Besides the encouragement of our families, our need to work in the service of others in the interest of the greater good is the single most significant driving factor in getting us to the finish line here today. I cannot adequately convey how excited we are to do our part to show the citizens that we serve the quality of the officers here at the Denver Police Department. Standing here now today, I cannot emphasize my wife's early advice to me enough and how it was so appropriate for this challenge. Focus on today this three feet in front of your face. Another friend and mentor of mine from my previous agency it's actually in the audience here today shared what he learned when he went through the US Army Special Forces election in his 40s. Just get to the next meal. Wake up, do the hard things that are required, make it to breakfast, pop some Motrin, do the hard things, lift more heavy stuff, rock as far as you need to, make it to the next meal. Make it to lunch. You get the idea. That spirit carried us through this academy. My wife saved me but you can replace me with any recruit from our class and place them in front of the microphones and the theme would be the same. Without all of you, our loved ones, our children, our families, we would not be in this hangar here with you today. There are not enough words in the English language and there's not enough time programmed today for me to truly express our gratitude for your patience, grace and sacrifice that got us to this day in one piece. So thank you for that. To the DPD training staff and especially the technicians here at the academy, thank you as well. Thank you for providing the structure and discipline we needed in order to push ourselves to meet your challenge to earn our place here at DPD. As with any long-term endeavor that's worth striving for in life, there were days punctuated by hardship and defeat. You showed us time and again that if we believed in ourselves, trusted our skill sets and had confidence in the world-class training provided here, we would succeed. In the history of the Denver Police Department, our etched names and our classes shared story will forever contain a footnote about just how much you all helped mold us and our skills into the Denver way. So thank you. Lastly, to my classmates, I will forever remember the times we spent here, the good days and not so great days. Thank you for letting this 40-something join your merry band of 20 and 30-somethings. I'm going to remember it all. Everything from a 38th day in a row with a bagel sandwich for lunch, hot Cheetos, weird obsessions with uncrustable PB&Js, quoting what seemed like 3,000 different movies, all the nicknames, so many nicknames, Tyler calling us to attention and telling us to lock it up for no good reason, Death Sergeant Barry and telling the Wayne Train to take a lap and always, always remember to never go gentle. I wish us all long and fruitful careers in one of the most prestigious law enforcement organizations in the nation. You have all earned your spot here and I know you'll do tremendous things given the opportunity. I'm deeply humbled to sit among you and I'm so proud of all that you are. Thank you very much. Now, with the assistance of Chief Deputy Director Mary Dulaki and Chief Thomas, we will begin our graduation badge and certificate presentations. Eric Tejada, badge 22043. Michael Vincent Kim, badge 22044. Casey Elizabeth Staples, badge 22045. Jose Torres, badge 22046. Helen Michael Snydemann, badge 22047. Tony Guzman Jr, badge 22048. Michael James Rinkoziak, badge 22049. Ismael Matias, badge 22050. Callaway Hanks, badge 22051. Heather Christian Thomas, badge 22052. Rachel Elizabeth Francis, badge 22053. Brandon Grulich, badge 22054. Michael Carlton, badge 22055. Robert Madrid, badge 22056. Wayne Joseph LaCru, badge 22057. Kimi Shwey, badge 22058. Now, the Presiding Judge, Honorable Kerry Lombardi, will administer the oath of office. All right, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, state your name, do solemnly swear by the ever-living God that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Colorado and the Charter and Ordinances of the City and County of Denver and that I will faithfully perform the duties of the office of police officer of the City and County of Denver to which I have been appointed and upon which I am about to enter. Congratulations. Sergeant Quinones. This is your class, 22-2. Sovereign of the Universe. We have been witness this last hour to seeing the pride of these men and women who now join the ranks of our Denver Police Department as officers. We ask for continued blessing for them, their beloved families, and for all of the other officers and support staff who so diligently serve our department every day of the year. May blessings of wisdom and leadership continually be bestowed upon our new Chief, Ron Thomas and his command staff as they lead our Denver Police Department. Let us always be mindful and thankful that we live in this great nation built upon the foundation of freedom and personal liberties. We also thank you, God, for your continued blessings of safety and healing upon our American troops throughout the world who protect our nation and all that it represents. May we continue to gather at times like this day to celebrate the joy of life and may our cup of joy always overflow with your sweetness and blessings as we say together, Amen. Thank you all for joining us today. Please remain at your seats until the new officers have left the auditorium.