Just a few days after their police academy graduation in Vassalboro, new Windham recruits Joseph Bureau and Wayne Cote were at the Gorham range Monday practicing with their firearms.
Officer Rob Hunt and Sgt. Michael Denbow led the new officers through a series of shooting exercises while evaluating them on their performance.
“Unholster and bring your weapon to a ready gun,” Hunt shouted to the officers.
After the officers unloaded two rounds into a cardboard target 50-feet away, Hunt told them to “search and breath.” The officers responded by looking with their guns for possible other targets.
Though police officers never go into a situation with their “guns blazing,” an officer must always be prepared, Hunt said.
“You never know what kind of threat you are going to face,” he said. “A police officer sometimes has to assess a situation in a half a second.”
While some police departments just toss officers “the keys” to the station after receiving badges at graduation, Windham recruits must undergo 10 to 12 weeks of additional on-the-job training, said Denbow who oversees the field training. And first things first, the officers must become comfortable and confident with their firearms before they hit the streets.
“These guys are frontline officers,” Denbow said. “So they are going to be involved in everything.”
In coming weeks, Bureau and Cote will continue firearm training, go on patrol with veteran officers, familiarize themselves with the area and respond to calls. They will also be put through classroom training on state law and local policy.
“Being a police officer, you learn every single day on the job,” Denbow said. “My goal is to make sure these guys can handle any situation competently.”
Bureau, 25, formerly of Litchfield, recently relocated to Standish after serving in the US Air Force. Bureau said becoming a police officer is something he’d been looking forward to for a long time.
“I hope to make the community safe and better place to live,” Bureau said.
Cote, 31, recently moved to Windham after serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Though becoming a police officer is a “fairly recent decision” for Cote, he is excited to work with people and help out.
Bureau and Cote both said their military experience prepared them for the intensive 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.
After a week of orientation, Bureau said the academy put on “the stress.” Each day, they would wake up at 5:30 a.m. for drill marching and physical training. Throughout the day, they would take classes on subjects like criminal law, motor vehicle law and report writing. They also participated in tactical simulations, learned how to deal with high-stress situations and received education and evaluation on ethics and “Community Policing Philosophy.”
At the end of their training, the officers were taught to be leaders, handle situations on their own, and they completed a final written exam to receive certification. The officers also underwent physical/psychological testing and background checks.
“Our philosophy is to give each and every law enforcement officer the exact same basic training program – regardless of agency affiliation – promote bonding and to unify the cadets with a common goal of becoming a certified law enforcement officer,” said Academy Director John Rogers.
At their graduation last Friday, Police Chief Rick Lewsen pinned Windham badges on Cote and Bureau. However, the graduates will not become full-fledged officers until they finish their field training and are evaluated by the department.
A third recruit was expected to join the Windham police force, however took a job in his hometown of Auburn after graduation. If you are a certified police officer interested in joining the Windham Police Department, contact Lewsen at 892-2525.
Despite the snow and frosty temps, the recruits hit the ground to practice shooting from cover. “Keep your heels down,” warns Sgt. Mike Denbow (right), “so they don’t get blown off.”Send questions/comments to the editors.
