Police Department hosts workout with recruiter event
The Woodland Police Department held a workout with a recruiter event last week in order to help potential recruits train and learn about the physical agility tests they may encounter during their journey to join the police force.
The event took place at Woodland Community College — located at 2300 East Gibson Road — on Nov. 12 from 6-7 p.m.
Despite a small turnout of only two people, officers Sergio Jacobo and Eric Aguirre put the potential recruits through a series of vigorous workouts to prepare them for training they would see at the police academy.
“Our goal is to not work people so hard they don’t come back,” Jacobo said. “We want people to keep coming back.”
Both Aguirre and Jacobo recently attended and graduated from the Sacramento Police Academy having been sworn into the Woodland Police Department in June 2020. Sgt. Victoria Danzl said she likes having them run the event as they have a fresh perspective as to what is expected of them at the academy.
“It’s good leadership development,” Danzl explained. “I like that they get to talk to young kids about everything.”
Danzl said they get a range of ages that put in applications to the police department, but it is usually the younger crowd that shows up to the workout events. However, she noted how important it is that there is such a range of people interested in joining the police department.
“We like that diversity,” Danzl emphasized. “We have people that have gone to college, worked some jobs while they were doing that before coming on. We’ve had people from the Marine Corp and had others that have had other full careers, so it’s nice because they have different perspectives.”
Jacobo and Aguirre began the workout with a series of quick warm-up exercises including high knees, high kicks and lunges before sending the attendees on a mile and a half run around the large grass area at the college. Jacobo and Aguirre accompanied them on the run, with Aguirre noting that he comes out to these events ready to do the workouts with the potential recruits to encourage and help them through the strenuous exercise.
The attendees then ran through a conditioning circuit that included exercises like mountain climbers, planks, jumping jacks, plank shoulder taps and burpees. Aguirre explained that because it was so dark, he was not able to run the course he usually does that more closely mirrors the physical agility tests, including the wall jump.
The workout ended with a few cool down stretches before the attendees stood with Aguirre, Jacobo and Danzl to ask them questions about the academy, get tips on how to conquer the wall jump during the physical agility test and what life is like working for the department.
“This is an opportunity to get a workout in, get faceto-face contact with officers you are applying with and to get knowledge of what we’re looking for and what our requirements are, in addition to broader generic resources about things like the police academy,” Jacobo said. “It’s a community outreach event, like ‘Coffee with a Cop,’ but it’s more tailored to be a recruitment type event.”
The next workout with a recruiter event at Woodland Community College is scheduled for Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending can contact Aguirre or Jacobo at 530-6617800 or Danzl at 530-6617860 if they have questions and can register for the workout at eventbrite.com.