Agent Rob-Making a Difference

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LAKEWOOD, Colo. Rob Albrets loves his job. He is a Lakewood Police Agent assigned to the Patrol Division where he works doing, “a lot of different things…and a little bit of everything.” Starting from the Police Chief to the newest officer, there are 250 police officers in the department. Lakewood’s population was 147,214 in 2013, making it the most populous city in Jefferson County.

THE ACADEMY

To be an agent, a candidate must first pass the six-month police academy. The Lakewood Police Department employment site encourages applicants by highlighting some of their benefits. “Paid training, advancement and special assignments are a few of the benefits making the Lakewood Police Department the choice of many who want a law enforcement career.”

FIRST CALL

The first call Albrets receives is a child welfare check at Belmar Elementary School, rolling into service. A Jefferson county social worker discovered bruises and marks on the face and neck of a 6-year-old boy at the school. Albrets elicits a confession from the mother and issues her a ticket for misdemeanor child abuse. Going forward, Social Services will be working on a plan with the mother.

A BUSY PLACE

The police vehicle is a busy place where everything is functional. For Albrets, this is his mobile office. Albrets has a computer screen and a keyboard immediately to his right. There is a speaker embedded in the passenger side front door spewing a cacophony of dispatcher and police officer voices. With all that verbal confusion, how can a person hear anything? “Oh, you get used to it,” Albrets says.

Photo by Pamela Barcheski

There is a metal and Plexiglas partition between the front and rear seats. The back seats are made of hard molded plastic that cannot be easily destroyed. The rear side windows are Plexiglas with metal bars on the outside of the windows. Only the front seats are normal. In back of the front seats and overhead there is a rifle. There is a machine that prints out tickets, a microphone and controls for overhead light bar. Everything is bolted to thick steel plates. The brain of the computer is conveniently tucked into the glove box.

THE MOST CALLS

The most frequent calls are for domestic violence, traffic accidents and warrants for arrest. The next call was for a hit-and-run traffic accident. A woman was driving her Yukon waiting at a light when the driver in front of her backed into her car and then drove away. She was able to write down his license plate number. There was light damage to the front of her vehicle. She took pictures with her cell phone and sent them to Albrets’ by email. In the police car, Albrets looked up the runaway driver’s license plate number and found a long record of accidents, lack of auto insurance and a suspended license. He drove by the suspect’s house, but his car was not there. Albrets said it is much better to stop at the scene of an accident than to flee. He said he would come back later to look for the car and the owner.

There is a great deal of independence in this job. Albrets says, “You use your own judgment.” Albrets started out with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism, but he did not like it at all. Eventually he found his way into law enforcement. “I Want To Make a Difference,” he emphasized. “I help vulnerable people and hold [other] people accountable. I enjoy trying to solve people’s problems.”

Lakewood crime rates http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/co/lakewood/crime/

Population 146,404

Lakewood Crime Data Crime Data FAQ

CRIME INDEX 8

(100 is safest) Safer than 8% of the cities in the US.

Lakewood Annual Crimes

Violent Crime Comparison per 1,000 residents

National Median 3.9

My chances of becoming a victim

in Lakewood 1 in 217

in Colorado 1 in 324

Population 146,404 Lakewood violent crimes

Population 313,914,040 United States violent crimes

Property Crime Rate Comparison per 1,000 residents

National Median 28.6

My chances of becoming a victim

in Lakewood 1 in 22

in Colorado 1 in 37

Population 146,404 Lakewood property crimes

Population 313,914,040 United States property crimes

Crimes Per Square Mile

National Median 39.3