Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan

Cheyenne Ramirez was working as a dispatcher at the Breckenridge Law Enforcement Center when one day Police Chief Bacel Cantrell mentioned that the city needed more police officers. It was then that she decided she was going to become a police officer. A few months later she joined the police academy at Weatherford College, and on Friday Chief Cantrell pinned a badge on the City’s newest police officer during a swearing-in ceremony in the Breckenridge City Commission’s Chambers.

“I was sitting in dispatch and the chief walked in talking about how the city needed more police officers,” she said. “I love to dispatch, but I’d rather be out on the streets helping the community than behind the desk.”

Breckenridge Police Chief Bacel Cantrell pins Cheyenne Ramirez’s badge on her following her swearing in on Friday morning. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

While Ramirez was attending the police academy at Weatherford College, she continued to work as a dispatcher for the Breckenridge Police Department and as an animal control officer. She started as a dispatcher in April and began attending the police academy in July. She graduated from the academy on Dec. 9, took her peace officer’s licensing test Thursday and was sworn in on Friday morning, Dec. 18.

Ramirez, who graduated from Moran High School and has lived in Breckenridge all her life, said she’s excited about being a police officer because she’s able to help the community and to help people get through the difficult times they have to face. She said working as a dispatcher and animal control officer has helped her get to know the community more and get to know the streets in the city better, which will be helpful when she’s on patrol.

Cantrell said her experience as a dispatcher and animal control officer will give her a good perspective as a police officer.

“She’s already got the radio down,” he said. “She knows how we speak on the radio. She’s heard the dispositions we give when we end calls, and she’s seen some of the reports and things go through. So that side of things, and working the computer, it’s going to be great. She knows some of the roads because she’s already working in animal control and she already has some community relations from working animal control. She’ll fit in pretty quick.”

He said there’s also been a lot of good feedback from the community with recently hired officers Bryce Bufkin and Drew Boggs, who like Cheyenne grew up in Breckenridge, because people in the community know them.

“You go out to Walmart, do a walk through at the school, those sort of things and they’re running into people they know and they’re having conversations. So you know, you’re already making that bond as a law enforcement officer here in the community,” Cantrell said.

Ramirez, along with Bufkin and Boggs, will go through 12 weeks of field training, riding along with veteran Breckenridge police officers.

Cantrell said the department recently started a new Field Training Officer program. He said they have three field training officers and that each of the newly sworn-in officers will spend a minimum of three weeks training with each one of the FTOs. He said once they finish training with each of the FTOs, they will then go back to their original FTO and train for an additional three weeks. “It’s about a 12-week process before you’re in your own car, and you’re doing those things,” he said.

Cantrell said with the three new hires recently sworn in, it leaves leaves the department short two patrol positions. And with Ramirez leaving the animal control officer he said that duty will be filled by a group effort among the officers until they get that spot filled.

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge Municipal Judge Kim Baggett swears in Cheyenne Ramirez as a new officer with the Breckenridge Police Department on Friday, Dec. 18. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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