This website contains criminal justice articles written by former Police Chief and Criminal Justice Professor/Police Academy Manager Richard B. Weinblatt |
| AMERICAN POLICE BEAT June 1997 Volume IV, Number 5 Is the Grass Greener at the Aurora, Colorado Police Department by Richard B. Weinblatt (pp.) |
In this age of the citizenry routinely turning down governmental expenditures at the ballot,
one city’s police officers were the beneficiaries of an initiative the local voters passed. The
result was a guaranteed ratio of two officers per 1,000 residents.
Agent George Radney, the recruiting officer, said that the department requires aspiring
lateral transfer officers to have three years of similar police experience over the last four
years. He said that experience as a military police officer, detention officer, or reserve
officer does not count in the experience package.
The written test is waived for officers who meet the above criteria and the applicant is
screened based on the strength of his or her application. Other requirements include 60
semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college, as well as passing the physical agility,
medical, psychological, polygraph and background investigation.
“W get a lot of inquiries from around the country,” beamed a proud Agent Rodney.
“Officers are attracted by our accelerated academy and pay scale, and the opportunity to
enjoy the quality of life offered in Colorado.
While entry level personnel go through 35 weeks of training (21 weeks of academy class
work and 14 weeks in the field training officer program), lateral officers receive a
condensed 21 week version comprised of 14 weeks in class and seven weeks with an FTO.
Lateral officers who join the Aurora Police Dept. come in at @28,343 a year. After the 21
weeks of training, the remuneration elevates to one of two levels. Those with five or more
years of experience jump two pay grades to $40,198 annually, while those with less than
five years law enforcement experience go one pay grade earning $36,081.
Officers generally top out at $45,046 after 18 months of reaching Grade I. Status.
Additional step increases are added each year.
Nestled in a major metropolitan region in Colorado, a state with a great quality of life, the
Aurora Police Department is actively pursuing experienced law enforcement officers to
practice their version of community policing.
Bordering the east side of the city of Denver, Aurora is a 135 square mile jurisdiction with
a population of 260,000.
The department’s 518 full-time officers work out of two districts (a third district is in the
works) covering a city that is unique in its division among three counties and districts
courts in Arapahoe and Adams County.
Agent Radney explained that patrol officers, who do not have a residency requirement,
work a four day, ten hour shift schedule with five shifts to pick from. The shifts are 3 pm to
1 am, 5 pm to 3 am, 10 pm to 8 am, 6 am to 4 pm and 8 am to 6 pm.
The shifts are bid for on a yearly basis by seniority. “We have a lot of senior officers who
enjoy the graveyard shift,” Radney said.
Off-duty jobs add to the attractive scenery in Aurora with the pay rate set at $22 per hour.
A modest shift differential is also factored into some officers’ shift choice with swing shift at
$275 per year and graveyard at $500 yearly.
The differential is paid in one annual check which Agent Radney says help out during the
holidays. No educational pay incentive exists and a tuition reimbursement program is
limited to the availability of funds.
After five years in Aurora, officers receive longevity pay based on $5.00 for every month of
service to the city. After three years, officers are eligible for a detective-type rank, civil
service promotion with a base pay of $49,639 per year. Promotion to sergeant, and the
corresponding base pay of $53,948, is available after five years.
Generally officers are able to put in for special assignments after one year such as DARE,
vice, narcotics, K-9, and traffic. The exception is SWAT, which requires three years as an
Aurora officer.
All standard equipment is issued, except for duty weapons.
Aurora was one of the first agencies in the United States to adopt a community policing
philosophy. The pilot project in Aurora was implemented in 1983.
Aurora Police enjoy strong community support as evidenced in part by an initiative which
mandatorily ties linking expansion of the police department to the booming city’s
population growth.
“With the newly opened Denver International Airport, which is mostly surrounded by
Aurora, we expect to hire more officers to keep with the two officers per 1,000 persons
mandate,” explained Agent Radney.
The department normally runs two academies per year with 34 recruits in a class. Half of
the group are lateral transfers attending their 14 week portion, while the remainder are
made up of entry level cadets. The department receives about 150 lateral applicants for
each academy class.
The Aurora Police Department expects to give aspiring laterals a chance to serve their
citizenry with another academy class scheduled for February 1998. Agent Radney said
that recruiting is always ongoing. For more information on joining the Aurora Police
Department contact Agent George Radney, at the Aurora Police Department, 800-637-
9963.
Richard B. Weinblatt, a deputy with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in New
Mexico, holds a Master of Public Administration in Criminal Justice.
one city’s police officers were the beneficiaries of an initiative the local voters passed. The
result was a guaranteed ratio of two officers per 1,000 residents.
Agent George Radney, the recruiting officer, said that the department requires aspiring
lateral transfer officers to have three years of similar police experience over the last four
years. He said that experience as a military police officer, detention officer, or reserve
officer does not count in the experience package.
The written test is waived for officers who meet the above criteria and the applicant is
screened based on the strength of his or her application. Other requirements include 60
semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college, as well as passing the physical agility,
medical, psychological, polygraph and background investigation.
“W get a lot of inquiries from around the country,” beamed a proud Agent Rodney.
“Officers are attracted by our accelerated academy and pay scale, and the opportunity to
enjoy the quality of life offered in Colorado.
While entry level personnel go through 35 weeks of training (21 weeks of academy class
work and 14 weeks in the field training officer program), lateral officers receive a
condensed 21 week version comprised of 14 weeks in class and seven weeks with an FTO.
Lateral officers who join the Aurora Police Dept. come in at @28,343 a year. After the 21
weeks of training, the remuneration elevates to one of two levels. Those with five or more
years of experience jump two pay grades to $40,198 annually, while those with less than
five years law enforcement experience go one pay grade earning $36,081.
Officers generally top out at $45,046 after 18 months of reaching Grade I. Status.
Additional step increases are added each year.
Nestled in a major metropolitan region in Colorado, a state with a great quality of life, the
Aurora Police Department is actively pursuing experienced law enforcement officers to
practice their version of community policing.
Bordering the east side of the city of Denver, Aurora is a 135 square mile jurisdiction with
a population of 260,000.
The department’s 518 full-time officers work out of two districts (a third district is in the
works) covering a city that is unique in its division among three counties and districts
courts in Arapahoe and Adams County.
Agent Radney explained that patrol officers, who do not have a residency requirement,
work a four day, ten hour shift schedule with five shifts to pick from. The shifts are 3 pm to
1 am, 5 pm to 3 am, 10 pm to 8 am, 6 am to 4 pm and 8 am to 6 pm.
The shifts are bid for on a yearly basis by seniority. “We have a lot of senior officers who
enjoy the graveyard shift,” Radney said.
Off-duty jobs add to the attractive scenery in Aurora with the pay rate set at $22 per hour.
A modest shift differential is also factored into some officers’ shift choice with swing shift at
$275 per year and graveyard at $500 yearly.
The differential is paid in one annual check which Agent Radney says help out during the
holidays. No educational pay incentive exists and a tuition reimbursement program is
limited to the availability of funds.
After five years in Aurora, officers receive longevity pay based on $5.00 for every month of
service to the city. After three years, officers are eligible for a detective-type rank, civil
service promotion with a base pay of $49,639 per year. Promotion to sergeant, and the
corresponding base pay of $53,948, is available after five years.
Generally officers are able to put in for special assignments after one year such as DARE,
vice, narcotics, K-9, and traffic. The exception is SWAT, which requires three years as an
Aurora officer.
All standard equipment is issued, except for duty weapons.
Aurora was one of the first agencies in the United States to adopt a community policing
philosophy. The pilot project in Aurora was implemented in 1983.
Aurora Police enjoy strong community support as evidenced in part by an initiative which
mandatorily ties linking expansion of the police department to the booming city’s
population growth.
“With the newly opened Denver International Airport, which is mostly surrounded by
Aurora, we expect to hire more officers to keep with the two officers per 1,000 persons
mandate,” explained Agent Radney.
The department normally runs two academies per year with 34 recruits in a class. Half of
the group are lateral transfers attending their 14 week portion, while the remainder are
made up of entry level cadets. The department receives about 150 lateral applicants for
each academy class.
The Aurora Police Department expects to give aspiring laterals a chance to serve their
citizenry with another academy class scheduled for February 1998. Agent Radney said
that recruiting is always ongoing. For more information on joining the Aurora Police
Department contact Agent George Radney, at the Aurora Police Department, 800-637-
9963.
Richard B. Weinblatt, a deputy with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in New
Mexico, holds a Master of Public Administration in Criminal Justice.
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| policearticles.com home of published articles written by Richard B. Weinblatt |
Located just North of Orlando,
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
| FAST FACT "Reserve Reports" by Richard B. Weinblatt, a regular column in LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT, ran for a decade (1991-2001). |
| FAST FACT Richard Weinblatt's March-April 1997 SHERIFF MAGAZINE article "Sheriffs Take on Rural Patrol Challenge" featured him on the cover. |
| FAST FACT The 250+ page book "Reserve Law Enforcement in the United States" by Richard B. Weinblatt, was published in 1993 |