{"id":27348,"date":"2024-06-02T23:40:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T05:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/14-new-cadets-set-to-join-law-enforcement-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:57:41","slug":"14-new-cadets-set-to-join-law-enforcement-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/14-new-cadets-set-to-join-law-enforcement-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"14 new cadets set to join law enforcement in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Cadet
Cadet corporal Kyler Rogers of the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office speaks to his fellow graduates during the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy's graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at River Bend Ranch just north of Durango. (Matt Hollinshead\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Fourteen police and sheriff\u2019s office cadets are set to join to the force after graduating from the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The commencement ceremony was held at River Bend Ranch just north of Durango.<\/p>\n

The cadets will take on roles in law enforcement agencies throughout Southwest Colorado after meeting the requirements to enter the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraduation day is always a special day for all of us,\u201d academy director Doug Parker said.<\/p>\n

Parker said the academy saw \u201cthese young people 20 weeks ago\u201d come together with a common goal, adding that the graduates are now about to the \u201cnext big step into what I believe is the most honorable profession in the world, law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the new cadets were acknowledged for their accomplishments by both Parker and their peers, there were laughs and even some tears of happiness.<\/p>\n

Durango Police Chief Brice Current was the event\u2019s commencement speaker.<\/p>\n

He spoke to the role of a police officer and how recent political environments have made it ever more important for officers to fulfill their duty with honor.<\/p>\n

\"Police
Police officers and sheriff's deputies attend the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy's graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at River Bend Ranch just north of Durango. (Matt Hollinshead\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI would submit the scrutiny is not from a vacuum, but from a slow drip where police failed to change. After 25 years of law enforcement, I\u2019ve realized the ignition comes from outdated training focused on negative approach to the Constitution, centering on what we can and cannot do instead of what we should do,\u201d he told the crowd of around 150 people, regarding the scrutiny law enforcement have received in recent years.<\/p>\n

Current said the role of a police officer should be to \u201csafeguard the people from harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, Eddie and Betty Box conducted a Native American blessing for their niece and nephew, Selena Lucero and Phillip Le, who graduated from the academy on Sunday. Eddie Box is a retired police captain for the Southern Ute Police Department.<\/p>\n

Lucero will serve as a cadet for the Southern Ute Police Department, while Le will work for the Bayfield Police Department. Le was also named one of the cadet supervisors for this year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the thin blue line that separates order from chaos. And we carry that responsibility with honor and integrity. In the face of adversity we will not alter the presence of danger and we will not retreat,\u201d Le said about becoming a police officer.<\/p>\n

Another cadet supervisor, Ben Knobloch, said his journey through the academy was exciting and unforgettable. He acknowledged each of his peers\u2019 specific skill sets.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether we face the challenges of the academy, supporting each other through tough times and celebrating our victories. Each of us has contributed to this journey in a way that has enjoyed our collective experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Knobloch will become an officer for the Durango Police Department.<\/p>\n

\"Cadet
Cadet Sergeant Phillip Le with the Bayfield Police Department speaks to his fellow graduates during the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy's graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at River Bend Ranch just north of Durango. (Matt Hollinshead\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

All fourteen officer graduating on Sunday were sponsored by local agencies, something that Le noted the class should be proud of.<\/p>\n

Cadet Cpl. Kyler Rogers, who will serve the Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office, said the journey \u201cwas not without its trials\u201d and pushed the cadets beyond their limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve confronted real life scenarios that demanded quick thinking and the ability to act decisively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full list of Sunday\u2019s graduates:<\/p>\n

Caleb Brown, La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s OfficeColton Calavan, Pagosa Springs Police DepartmentLynn Drain, South Fork Police DepartmentMatt Helms, Durango Police DepartmentBen Knobloch, Durango Police DepartmentPhillip Le, Bayfield Police DepartmentSelena Lucero, Southern Ute Police DepartmentTaylor Marston, Cortez Police DepartmentKaleb Rittenhouse, unspecifiedKyler Rogers, Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s OfficeIsaac Tillery, Fort Lewis College Police DepartmentCayden Worcester, Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s OfficeRodrigo Pucci, Durango Police DepartmentKat Sargent, La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/div>\n

tbrown@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Durango police chief touches on police scrutiny during commencement address<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[731,21,950,1065,28,475,1194,52,60,310,1231],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-27348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bayfield","tag-cortez","tag-durango","tag-durango-police-department","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-colorado","tag-la-plata-county-sheriffs-office","tag-law-enforcement","tag-montezuma-county","tag-pagosa-springs","tag-pine-river-times"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80030,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27348\/revisions\/80030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27348"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=27348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}