DENVER — At 21 years old, Damaris Hernandez knows that she is destined to become a school patrol officer.
"It's what I've always been passionate about... So it’s exciting for me, starting right now at my age," Hernandez said. "It's a good stepping stone for the journey that I want."
Hernandez attended Lakewood High School and took classes at Warren Tech, where she became fascinated with criminal justice and the judicial process. She first joined Denver Public Schools' (DPS) Department of Climate and Safety as a campus safety officer.
Campus safety officers are unarmed officers who "maintain peace within schools," according to the district. These officers are "trained to handle incidents swiftly, prevent disruptions and foster trust [while] also ensuring safety at extracurricular events."
Hernandez is now training to become a DPS patrol officer. The district describes patrol officers as armed officers who "provide rapid responses, manage safety operations, coordinate patrols, and enhance preparedness across campuses."
Clyde Casados, training sergeant for the Department of Climate and Safety, said it's very important for their academy to be as realistic as possible.
"We always tell them, 'We want to prepare for the worst day possible for us.' And so taking the training very seriously for all of the instructors, it is very passionate for us. We want to make sure that the officers leave here feeling confident in their skills," said Casados.
The department offers its academy three times a year. During that time, trainees will learn various things, including how to handle a firearm and drive an emergency vehicle. Patrol officers work in tandem with school resource officers, who are employed by the Denver Police Department.
"As far as the SROs, we do partnerships on occasion with them. They are specifically through Denver police," said Casados. "But we have in the past a couple of years back, we did a large-scale training for an active shooter over at Evie Dennis, and we partnered with them. We've done very small trainings with them, as well, where we always invite them out just so we have that good partnership with them and that we are all in sync and that we are all on the same page, and we're ensuring the safety of all the students and staff."
Hernandez previously went through the academy to become a campus safety officer and is now furthering her skills to become a patrol officer. She told Denver7 she dreams of joining the Denver Police Department or Los Angeles Police Department.
"Honestly, it was hard, presenting this kind of like, I want to be a police officer. There's that concern that I'm a female, and it could be more dangerous, but it's what I'm passionate about and it's very exciting for me. My brothers are very supportive, they are all excited for me and so are my parents," Hernandez said.
Denver7 joined Hernandez and her fellow trainees during an active shooter drill at the former Walter W. Remington Elementary School. The empty school allows the group to navigate through hallways and classroom settings.
"It is very important for us to train in a school environment just because that's where we're going to be in the event something like that comes up. And so, ensuring that our training locations are picked out and we have the availability to make it as realistic as we can with the building itself is a very key element to make sure that training goes well," Casados said.
The first week of training for patrol officers focuses on handling a firearm, while the second week is on driving and learning the geography of the different schools. The third week focuses on active shooter situations.
"Here in Colorado, we've had an unfortunate history of [active shooters] and so that is something that we and other instructors in this field that we take very passionately. We want to make sure that in the event that ever comes to pass, our officers are ready to enact and be available to respond appropriately and end the situation as quickly as we can," Casados said.
After the academy, Hernandez will work with a field training officer to ensure she has the experience and expertise to respond to any emergency that may arise.
"One of my biggest goals in the drive we have for the department with my team is to set the standard for Colorado, for any kind of Department of Safety or anything like that, for any school training is to try to drive to set that standard for the city, hopefully for the country," Casados said.
While she may be the youngest in the department right now, Hernandez is proud to be following her dreams to ensure students receive the support they need.
"Just never doubt yourself and keep pushing through it. No matter how hard it gets, you know, you're here to accomplish your goals," Hernandez said.
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