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Faces of Lakewood: Patrol Officer Adrian Alderete

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Contributed by: Joseph Kirchmer/YourHub.com on 1/2/2008

Editor's note: Visit our Faces of Lakewood and Edgewater page, where YourHub.com staff and readers can introduce you to more people -- and a dog -- who make this part of the metro area what it is.

It's bitter cold and snowing hard outside when Lakewood police officer Adrian Alderete arrives at work at 3 p.m. Dec. 21 for his shift. For the next ten hours, Alderete will patrol the north sector of the city, which includes a wide expanse of Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard.

The cold weather likely will result in a surge in domestic violence calls, since people tend to stay indoors. Another contributor to domestic violence calls stems from Denver Broncos losses, but that's for another day.

Tonight, Alderete will patrol one of the city's busiest areas, responding to everything from DUIs to an intoxicated mentally ill woman who believes someone outside her apartment door is attempting to kill her.

Described as a "hard charger" by his superiors, Alderete, 33, is liked and admired by thefellow officers he sees constantly during the course of his shift. Although he has family members who have served in the military, he is the first to become a police officer.

He likes his job, the independence of working alone and the things he gets to see on a daily basis. He has now been with the Lakewood Police Department for the past 11 years.

"When they gave us our badges, they said this is a ticket to the greatest show on earth," he said. "I like being able to get out there and actively understand the world we live in. You see how many miserable things are going on in the world and you're not sheltered. But you have to keep in mind that the percentage of the population we deal with is very small."

Indeed, most calls seems to always include two common factors: poverty and alcohol. Most of the people he sees tonight are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and tend to live in small, unkempt one-bedroom apartments.

Early in the shift, Alderete attempts to serve a warrant to a 20-year-old man who is believed to be at an apartment complex off Wadsworth. He's not there and the Hispanic woman in the apartment tells Alderete in Spanish that she hasn't seen him in nearly two months.

Immediately after, Alderete is called just down the street to a patrol officer who slid out of control and hit a tree. The damage is minor and Alderete, who also is an accredited crime scene investigator, snaps some photos of the officer's car, which will later be included in a report.

Only a few minutes later, dispatch airs a "hot call" of a man walking down Wadsworth pointing a gun at oncoming traffic. He flips on the flashing lights and does his best to make his way through rush hour traffic, which is often slow to move out of the way.

Officers patrol the area and question two teens that closely fit the description given by dispatch. The teens, one of whom is wearing a hoodie sweatshirt emblazoned with marijuana leaves, are upset that they were targeted by police.

"This is harassment," one of them says as he's being searched, muttering pig under his breath after he's released.

Later on, Alderete is dispatched to the home of a mentally ill woman who thinks someone is trying to kill her. Although she's directed to take anti-depressants, she decides against it tonight and instead drinks heavily.

With five police officers standing around her in her apartment, the woman sobs uncontrollably in her red pajamas.

"I had this horrible dream," she says. "I'm (expletive) crazy."

At a shabby motel off Colfax, Alderete and another officer break up a fight between two men, both of whom are drunk. One of the men picks up a handful of snow and throws it in the other's face before he is taken down and handcuffed.

It's unclear what started the fight, but clearly alcohol has played a role. The man who was beaten up refuses to press charges, so the man is heading to detox instead of jail. He smells like booze and is obnoxious on the way to detox, shouting derogative names at Alderete.

A search of the man revealed a pair of scissors and two pocketknives. During the search process, Alderete gets the man's blood all over his gloves. He later cleans his hands and gloves meticulously to avoid contracting any diseases.

Alderete says his job can wear on him -- he's particularly affected by cases involving child abuse and Sudden Infant Deaths (SIDs).

"It's tough, some of the things I've seen," he said. "Some of them are funny, but most aren't. But this is what I like to do. It compliments my personality. We get to put bad people in jail and help some people."

It's not a job he will recommend for his children, however.

When asked why not, he responds, "Just the sheer fact that I have to put on a bullet proof vest everyday. Because of the danger level, I would constantly be worried about them. But I would be proud at the same time if it's what they chose to do."

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

Submitted By: Katherine Jerome

posted on 1/3/2008 @ 12:14:37 PM

Rated Story

Nice story, and a big "Thank You" to officer Alderete for providing your services to our city. You guys don't get enough recognition for your fine work, and this well written profile is a great reminder!

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Submitted By: Erin Feese

posted on 1/2/2008 @ 3:22:14 PM

Rated Story

Great story, Joey! Sounds like it was an exciting night.

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

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