The Amarillo Police Department held its 102 nd Academy graduation last week, welcoming six new officers to serve the city and one other to the Potter County Sheriff's Office.
These seven new officers, who just completed the Amarillo Police Academy, were sworn in Friday. Cadets and staff were honored for their exceptional work during the academy training.
Braden Green from Amarillo was named the top academic cadet with a 96.05 grade point average. Michael Ritter, who formerly served with the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Police Department, was named the top marksman, and Madeline Geidel, a graduate of West Texas A&M with a degree in criminal justice, was honored with the fitness award for her hard work in the academy.
Amarillo Police Chief Martin Birkenfeld spoke about the graduating class.
“It feels really good to see these cadets graduate,” he said. “I love seeing young people come to us with a heart for service that want to be police officers. This group is particularly cohesive and will be outstanding officers. We have more in the pipeline that will serve us well. It is good to see that some still want to serve and protect the community.”
Birkenfeld stressed that he would like to see more graduates join the force but feels the quality of the graduates far outweighs the quantity. He stressed the need for potential police trainees to prepare for the academy.
“One of the biggest parts of becoming an officer is to be diligent in your academics to get your mind ready to study,” he said. "The second piece is the physical part. You have to be in good shape, and we want our officers to be healthy enough to handle the rigors of serving the city. Also, mental readiness is important, to be prepared for whatever unexpected circumstances that you may be thrust into. A strong mental resiliency helps officers overcome whatever may happen on the job.”
Geidel, the only female graduate of the class, spoke about her journey to becoming a police officer.
“It feels great; I mean, it's a hard eight months of blood, sweat, and tears,” she said. “It was a really huge feat to overcome, for sure. To graduate today feels like it has come full circle. I saw the next class sitting at the tables and thought about how I was sitting there and watching the last class walk across the stage. I had no idea what I was in store for as I watched them graduate.”
Geidel said she had considered becoming an officer in high school when she became interested in criminal justice.
“Training all those hours and the amount of growth that I experienced in those six months was quite an eye-opener,” Geidel said. "I am really into public service and serving the community. This made it all come full circle.”
Among the most challenging aspects of the academy was the physical portion of training for Geidel.
“When we were doing defensive tactics, it was super hard, but the minute I got through one week, it was like, I can do this. And when I got through another week, it was like, I can really do this,” she said. “I was the only female in this class, so going through defensive tactics with guys that have a lot more power than me was quite a challenge, but that is how it is in the real world, so I overcame it.”
Green, a national guardsman who has served six years and has always had a passion for service in his hometown, spoke about graduating from the academy.
"This was a huge accomplishment over a long nine months with many tests; it is a really neat deal,” he said. “That was one of the neatest experiences I have ever been through. I spent six years in the military, and this is probably the coolest thing I have ever done."
Green credits his time in the military as an infantry soldier for instilling discipline, a sense of pride and respect while working with a group.
“I have always wanted to be a police officer,” he said. “I was a plumber before this in a career that took care of my family, but I did not enjoy it. My wife talked me into taking this step and going for it. It is a big deal to come back and serve the community that has served me for 30 years and to be able to give something back.”
The graduates of the 102nd Academy are:
- Dustin Eddleman (Potter County Sheriff's Office)
- Madeline Geidel
- Braden Green
- Kegan Medina
- Gustus Miller
- Michael Ritter
- Eduardo Zubia.
The Amarillo Police Department is accepting applications for its next academy and has another citizens academy starting Sept. 3. The deadline to sign up for the citizens academy, which runs through Nov. 12, is Aug. 25. Classes will take place on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. and will include two Saturdays.
According to the department, the goal of the citizen and student police academy is to help the citizens of Amarillo understand how the police department works and how officers perform their jobs in the community. If you have any questions about the training, you can contact training and personnel at 806-378-9462.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: APD celebrates 7 new graduates from 102nd police academy class
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