NEWS — Sheriff’s office academy graduates eight cadets

By Karen Gleason

The 830 Times

Eight cadets recently graduated from the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Academy and will now begin their law enforcement careers in the sheriff’s office and two other agencies in the region.

The graduation of the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Academy Class 2024A was held June 28 in the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District Student Performance Center on Griner Street. The event was attended by cadets’ family members and friends and several elected and law enforcement officials from around the region.

The ceremony began with opening remarks by VVSO Lt. Jimmy Sunderland Jr., the academy’s training coordinator. Afterward, the class led guests and audience members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

After a prayer by Deacon Robert Sanchez, Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez began the ceremony by welcoming attendees.

“I want to thank all of you for being here today to support these young men. To the families of these young men, thank you for trusting in us over the past five months. Their careers start today, but for the past five months, you’ve been supporting these young men, and I’ve watched them grow up in the past five months,” Martinez said.

“When I first saw them, the looks on their faces was of confusion, ‘what did I get myself into?’ (A few days ago), I greeted them again, and I could see a confidence in them that they’ve gained over the past five months, but none of this is possible for them without your support.

“Your support doesn’t end today. They’re starting their careers, and they need to be supported throughout their careers. The support from home, from families, is very valuable to these individuals. There will be days when they won’t be home for Thanksgiving, because they’ll be working. They’ll be working on Christmas, so that’s where they’re going to need your support,” Martinez said.

He also addressed the cadets, urging them to never forget their families.

“A lot of times we forget how we got to where we’re at. It wasn’t the training that you all had. It was your families and your loved ones that got you where you’re at. Without them, you wouldn’t be here, and without them, you won’t be able to continue,” the sheriff said.

He also recognized SFDRCISD Trustee Amy Haynes, who was in the audience.

Following the sheriff’s remarks, Sunderland introduced guest speaker Laura Tate-Mills, retired San Antonio Police Department officer.

Tate-Mills began with two Bible verses, then told the audience that 41 years ago, on June 6, 1983, she became a cadet with the San Antonio Police Department and recalled her experiences in the academy.

“I can still vividly recall those days we called ‘hell days,’ which consisted of long study hours, testing every day, unrelenting physical training, long days and some nights out at the gun range, being pepper-sprayed, then having to go through the gas chambers at Camp Bullis, putting on a mask and running 200 yards in the heat. I felt as though I was going to die, but I knew I had to keep pressing to the finish line. Those days were vital, for they shaped, molded and prepared me for the journey of policing that was to come,” Tate-Mills said.

Likewise, she said, the cadets’ own training has prepared them for their journeys as peace officers.

“Today is the beginning of your noble path of service to your community, so as you put on your uniform, your badge and your Sam Browne (belt), you represent not just authority, but you usher in trust and safety into the community. This profession is more than just a job. It’s a calling, one that requires holding up the truth while standing in the gap separating the right from the wrong,” she said.

“This calling is a commitment to the community. It runs parallel, somewhat, to the vows of a marriage. . . ‘For better or worse.’ You will encounter the best of some citizens while on the other hand, you will experience the worst that you can’t even imagine, yet your duty is to hold up the truth, while standing in the gap separating the right from the wrong,” she added.

She said it doesn’t matter if one citizen lives in a fine house and another lives in a tent, “everyone is equal,” and warned the cadets their lives have become open books, “and the community is watching.”

“Therefore, you must remain trustworthy, calm, in the face of scorn and ridicule. You must display self-restraint while maintaining public order, for this profession, this calling, is full of emotional, mental and physical challenges that will test you on every side,” Tate-Mills said.

She said it was vital the new officers develop “an arena of those you can trust.”

She also told the cadets, “It’s okay to say I need some backup. It’s okay to say I need to vent to someone. I have a news flash: You are not Atlas, the man who carries the world on his shoulders. Asking for assistance doesn’t mean you’re weak, it only expresses that you’re human.”

In closing her address, Tate-Mills paraphrased the story of “The Star Thrower,” by Loren Eiseley, in which an older man walking along the beach comes across a young boy gently tossing starfish back into the ocean after a storm had dumped thousands of them onto the shore.

Tate-Mills said, “The man said, ‘Son, there are miles and miles of beach. Hundreds of starfish along the way. You can’t possibly make any difference.’ The little boy looked at the man, and he smiled as he bent down and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, and he said to the man, ‘It will make a difference to this one.’

“Officers, you will not resolve every dispute. You will not solve every crime. But your consistency in your duties will make a world of difference to the community. May the work you do, may the service you give, speak for you. Thank you for the difference you’re about to make. The community is indebted to you for accepting this unwavering commitment. May God bless you, may He continue to keep you, and shine His face upon you and your families,” Tate-Mills finished.

Class 2024A valedictorian Gerardo Torres then addressed the audience briefly, thanking God, family, friends, his fellow cadets and trainers.

“I’ll never forget any of the memories we made,” Torres said.

Sunderland and VVSO Sgt. Michael Cardenas next presented the cadets with their official certificates of graduation.

Then Martinez administered the oath of office to the six cadets who will go to the sheriff’s office – Torres, Leonardo Martinez Castillo, Sergio Rodarte, Julian Rodriguez, Jonathan Herrera and Miguel Ramirez.

Eagle Pass Police Department Chief Federico Garza administered the oath of office to Juan Lopez, who will go on to be a member of that department, and Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jon Sandell administered the oath of office to Carlos Duran Castro, who will go to work for the Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office.

The cadets were then pinned with the badges representing their new agencies, and each cadet selected a family member or loved one to pin those badges to their uniform shirts.

The ceremony ended with closing remarks by VVSO Chief Deputy Joe Ortiz.

The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.