When Jana Cates took a civilian job with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department, which covers more than 800 square miles south and east of Denver, Colo., it didn’t take her long to realize that the sheriff’s deputies were doing much of the same work for a lot more money. She never saw herself in a law enforcement role, but adding some risk for more earning potential was a calculation she was willing to make.
“I figured the worst they could do was tell me thanks but no thanks,” she said.
They did not, and 18 months later, after taking written tests, personality tests, and physical and mental fitness tests, and graduating from the training academy, she was officially commissioned as a sheriff’s deputy.
Mrs. Cates is set to retire this year after 30 years on the job. In some ways, her job has changed very little over these past three decades. She has been with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department in the Detention Services Bureau since the beginning. The roles that she has had in this single job have varied widely, from booking inmates to patrolling cell blocks to transporting prisoners to making sure offenders in alternative sentencing programs meet their requirements.
“Detention is sort of the scullery maid of law enforcement,” she said. “We’re necessary, obviously, but it’s not nearly as glamorous as it’s made out to be. Honestly, it’s a lot like glorified babysitting. We’re making sure they’re safe and making sure we’re safe. We’re talking to them and figuring out if they’re planning to attack the inmate living in the cell next to them, but we’re also helping them navigate through the court and sentencing process.”
Working in a detention center is not quite how it is portrayed on the big screen. For starters, Mrs. Cates was never armed when working inside the facility. “We can’t have guns or batons,” she said. “My ability to communicate and my physical skills—those were the only weapons I had.”
Second, there is less excitement than what is seen on TV. “Some of what you see in entertainment is real, but most of what really happens is honestly so boring,” she said. “They have to embellish it or no one would watch.”
The daily routines may be the same, Mrs. Cates said, but the interactions could change in a day for better or worse.
“Some of my fondest memories are those moments when you realize you’ve touched someone’s life in just the right way,” she said. “You can say something to someone, and you can see the lightbulb go off. Unfortunately, you sometimes see that same person come back again and again.”
Even though she will retire this year, Mrs. Cates intends to stay involved with the county through its important outreach to the community.
“As a volunteer, I am involved with ground support for our mounted unit,” she said. “We take the horses to schools, and we read to the kids and they read to the horses. It’s a lot of fun.”
She has also served as part of her department’s honor guard team, which pays respect to fallen law enforcement and service members, as well as their families. Her retirement bucket list includes a lot of travel with her husband, Mike: to Uganda to see the Rothschild’s giraffes; to Norway to see the aurora borealis; and to Washington, D.C., to experience Police Week.
“I believe honoring our fallen, both law enforcement and military, is our duty,” said the member of Toll Gate Creek DAR Chapter, Aurora, Colo. “It’s important to remember why they lost their lives and that their sacrifice was for our freedom and safety.”
