Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to All In Adams, the official podcast Adams County Government, where we're all in for our residents, our employees, and our community. So whether you live here, work here, or you just want to know more about what makes Adams County a great place to be, thanks for tuning in. We're all in, Adams.
Speaker: Welcome to another episode of the All in Adams podcast. So for this episode, we're going to call it All in Off Script. And I'm pretty excited to have the public information officer, Sergeant Shea Haney with us to kind of kick us off with this podcast series, if you will, where we just kind of get to know folks who work for Adams County. You all have different backgrounds and cool stories and appreciate you coming in ah to the studio. So let's take a step back. You're in law enforcement. what What got you into that field? Were you a kid when you're like, hey, I want to be in law enforcement? This is something you've always wanted to do? Or tell me how you got to this point. Yeah, it is, actually. So I i grew up in a law enforcement family. My dad worked for Denver Police Department.
Speaker: My uncles also worked for Denver. So at a young age, growing up in a police family, you know, it was something that I kind of looked at and aspired to. And I kind of knew from middle school-ish that this was the career field for me.
Speaker: um So then, you know, kept planning through high school and college and Here I am. So I got a job with Westminster PD before this when I was really young, 19-ish, doing and community service ah a community service officer with them.
Speaker: And then I got into the academy at 21 with the sheriff's office and been here for 17 years. And sorry, when were you in the Academy? 2009. So I said, Oh, you were 21. I think you've been here longer than no yeah i got a few, few more years. yeah But yeah, so nice. Yep. Started in 2009 in the Academy with us and I've been with the sheriff's office for 17 years now.
Speaker: So talk to me about the academy, right? So it's changed probably over the years since you were in it? Oh, yes. Yeah, so it's evolved. But when you were in it, what was that like and how long was the academy at that point? And it was, we didn't have, do we have Flat Rock at the time? No, no. So we were actually housed at the old headquarters building, which is now the coroner's office up in Brighton.
Speaker: And we were in the community room. I've seen some old pictures of that. Yeah. Okay. Yep. So we were housed in the community room. Uh, and at the time I think we had 29, uh, folks in our Academy and that was one of the bigger academies. were, I was only class five and I think they're on class 41 or 42 or something like that now. So a lot of academies,
Speaker: between now and then. but yeah, so we were housed out of headquarters and, uh, we would march over to the jail every day and eat, eat lunch in the jail and march back up the, up the ramp there, I think on long speak. And so it's changed quite a bit.
Speaker: Now we have flat rock. Uh, it's, it's evolved. We have, yeah, the ranges and the DT buildings and all the things. So we've, we've definitely grown out of the community room. Yeah.
Speaker: It's class five. Wow. And that was 2009. Okay. Yeah. I started January, 2009. Okay. January, 2009. And was that all for the sheriff's office? Cause I know now they bring in other jurisdictions, you know, city departments that they can utilize our training services. But at that time, was it only for deputies within the sheriff's office? No. So we had other, uh, we had other agencies to, Boulder on Mount Fort Collins, North Glen.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, the sheriff of Arapahoe County, Tyler Brown was in my academy class. I was going ask you if you could name drop anybody that were in your academy. So the, the sheriff of Arapahoe County was in your class. Anybody else? I mean, within the sheriff's office now that have continued. to Yeah, actually a commander, Adam Sherman. Oh, Sherman. i Okay. I took his job as the PIO. He went over to our crime lab as a commander. Okay.
Speaker: um But him and I were classmates in in our in the academy as Okay. Interesting. So you've evolved to the sheriff's office. So you went through the academy, right? Did you start in the jail or kind of tell me that process of what how you got to being the public information officer?
Speaker: Yeah. So, yeah, I definitely started in the jail. um When I first started, think you did do two two years in the jail before you were able to test for patrol. That's changed. um Now they allow the folks that come out of the academy to test. And if you're in the top, however many were taken to patrol at the time,
Speaker: you can go straight from the academy to patrol. Uh, but I did about three and a half years in the jail and then I transferred down to patrol in 2013, I believe. Yep. 2013 and did a few years, um, on shifts working, working in a district, uh, became a field training officer, a rest control instructor, a few other things. And then, 2015, uh,
Speaker: I went to our community resource team, which is like a specialized kind of patrol ah function. We did a lot of community meetings back when I was on it, but we also did more proactive policing with different areas in Adams County.
Speaker: Did that for a few years. And in 2017, went to a task force with the FBI. I was on the joint tourism task force for five years with the FBI. And then Um, came back for a period of time and then went to detectives, uh, for a few years.
Speaker: Um, I worked property crimes, persons crimes and financial crimes while I was up there and, um, got promoted in July of 24. Spent a few, about a year, little over a year on the street as a patrol sergeant, uh, before the move over here public information.
Speaker: Wow. So a plug for if you ever want to be in law enforcement, there's a bunch of different areas you can get into. Are you on any special units or have you been on? Because I know that's another side of the sheriff's office as well. Yeah. So I've been a member of our mobile field force team, which is kind of a crowd control um specialized team that we have. And I was on it as a deputy.
Speaker: And then now I'm on it as a sergeant. I'm a sergeant on our team as well. Wow. but Let me put you on the spot. Any like crazy, funny, weird, I know like we don't want to talk about like the unfortunate calls probably, but like anything that comes to mind that you could share with the audience that's appropriate where it was, it's a call you always remember. Maybe you made an impact on somebody or something that you remember from your time so far with the sheriff's office. Yeah. Uh, yeah. I mean, a call that sticks out to me, um, was a call that unfortunately I was shot at, but I didn't realize it. So it was one of those things where you've been shot at. Okay. Yeah. And I didn't realize it at the time. ah but I was in a car. it was when I was on patrol, I think in like 2014 and come across the car, near 88th and Colorado and Thornton, uh, two cars were there.
Speaker: People were kind of arguing. So turned in one car took off. So I followed it for a little bit. Ended up hearing a pop and I thought it was a tire popping because this car was taken off from me.
Speaker: um We ended up going on a ah little chase down 88th Avenue the time. And Commerce City was out on a wreck near like 88th and Highway 2 area, Rosemary area.
Speaker: And ah so I called off the chase because I didn't know what what I had, what was going on. And they ended up ah throwing out stop sticks, which deflated the tires on this car because Commerce City saw it come through and they got the information that it had eluded us.
Speaker: Ended up finding the car um on Highway 2, not occupied. There was a ah handgun in the backseat of the car. Nobody was in it. a Long story short, quite a bit of searching happened. We ended up finding, I think,
Speaker: five or six juveniles and one adult that were associated with this car stolen car. Uh, we got information that the driver did in fact, um, fire two rounds back at my car when it took off.
Speaker: We found a shell casing in the area that I heard the pop. Um, the driver was a juvenile at the time. Um, so yeah, that's probably the most memorable call for obvious reasons. Like i said, I didn't know in the moment yeah what was going on. wow Um, but I do remember hearing the pop. And then and when I found the gun in the back, I said, Oh, cause I didn't see the muzzle flash. Right. Cause I'm focused in on the car. And sometimes when you're focused in, you don't see those things. And so I didn't see the muzzle flash, but wow it ended up working out. We got them. I didn't get shot. My car didn't get hit.
Speaker: ah But, uh, they run? How did you, how were you able to track them down? Yeah. So they ran, and we had canine units that were able to, you know, come to the area search. Uh, we had a lot of units obviously with the the possibility of me get, I getting shot at to, um, to take a perimeter spots and, and lock down the area. And so the canines were able to find a lot of folks. wow Plus with these kids that are hiding under cars, yeah this and that. So, um, wow. Yeah.
Speaker: So that, Quite a story. So any like, uh, I want to put you on the spot and you got to talk about yourself a little bit here. Okay. Um, any like awards that you've received throughout the sheriff's office? I know you guys do your annual award ceremonies and stuff that you wanted to share at all. Uh, no, not yet actually. Okay. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I know those are those, those stories. I've been to a couple of those awards ceremonies and it's like, wow. When you read those stories, right. People went through, but, Yep.
Speaker: It's, it's crazy. And we are very fortunate of our first responders for sure. Um, any, any personal stuff you want to share about yourself? Um, family, um, what you like doing in Colorado? Are you, are you from Colorado? I am. Yeah. So I'm here. ah I'm born in Thornton from Colorado. So got a wife. Local kid. Yes. Local kid. Yep. Yep. Grew up in Thornton. um Wife, two kids.
Speaker: I like to golf. um Like to check out the sports. What's your handicap? Pretty high. yeah Pretty high. Unfortunately. Unfortunately. It's very tricky of a sport, isn't it? Yes, it is.
Speaker: ah But yeah, no, I mean, not a huge mountain guy, but my wife and I like to go to those different sports where we're a mammoth season ticket holders. Lacrosse. Yes. Okay. Any other big sports fans other than lacrosse or is that at the top? Yeah. I mean, and unfortunately they're not as good as we'd like them to be, but I'm a Rockies fan. Okay. So, and I'm a Packers fan. I know I'm not from Green Bay. I'm from Minnesota. I'm a Vikings fan. didn't know that about you. That's unfortunate. Yeah, that's unfortunate. I didn't know that. Yep.
Speaker: ah But yeah, so Packers fan, Rockies fan. Okay. Big history buff, like trivia, like Jeopardy. Yeah. Awesome. Did you ever think like when you were going through the academy that you'd be the face kind of of the sheriff's office now, like going to these events, you got to get in front of cameras, in front of the TV news, whatnot. Like, did you ever think you'd be in the spot? And what has it been like? Cause you've only been in the role you were saying for nine months, right? Yeah, no, it wasn't something that was on my list of things,
Speaker: you know, looking forward in my career as a 21 year old that I put on my list. Right. um But an opportunity presented itself. This position came open and kind of looking at it and looking at the reach that we have in this role. And then I would have as the public information officer to communicate with the community and impact the community and help the sheriff's office, you know, push our message and push what we're doing.
Speaker: Um, it was an opportunity. I didn't want to turn down, right. I wanted to give it an opportunity, it's chance. And so, I, applied for it, got the job and, um, I've been learning.
Speaker: It's a different world communications. I have no background in it whatsoever. Um, you know, going from just being a street cop to detective, you know, I've learned a few things along the way and I have a good team, ah that works for me, um, that helps me out. And I have a good boss that supports me. Um, and, and we make it work.
Speaker: That's awesome. Yeah. All right. I'm going to give you some quick hit lightning round questions. I'm to put you on the spot. All right. You got to answer it as quick as you can. Okay. Mountains or beach. You just said you weren't a mountains guy. Beach. Beach. Yep.
Speaker: Are you an early bird or a night owl? Early bird. Okay. Dogs or cats? This is, this could be controversial. It could be, it could be, uh, dogs. I'm not a cat fan at all.
Speaker: My kids want cats. Sorry to the cat fans there. Yeah. Sorry to the cat fans, but, uh, no, my kids want cats and, uh, that's ah's a, it's a hard pass. All right. So what's your favorite restaurant in Adams County? Maybe take the family there, but up, up here in Adams County, what would your favorite restaurant In Brighton, we like Texas Roadhouse. My wife's a big fan and I was kind of your, you know, standard one. When I was on the street, we liked in, in unincorporated Adams County yeah was a great Scott's near highway. Yeah. Highway 36 and Pecos. They usually treat us pretty well and got good food. So what's the most used app on your phone?
Speaker: Probably Facebook. Facebook. i a Big Facebook guy. Yeah. Yep. I have the other ones, but probably Facebook. I like the info. What's your dream vacation destination? Uh, we want to go to Ireland.
Speaker: Cool. Yeah. Yeah. I got some Irish, Irish roots in the family. Um, so I'd like to take a trip over there one time. All right. Never been. Well, you got to get over there. Right. What's your favorite movie of all time? Ooh.
Speaker: Uh, Batman from 1989. Okay. Michael Keaton version. All right. All right. Well, it's been fun getting to know you. i appreciate you coming in. And, yeah, check out everything the Sheriff's Office is doing. They have their social media accounts. You guys ye a ton of work, ton of a educational things, too, for the community. And you're at a ton of events, too. So I know that's a big piece of your guys' is team is getting in front of the community, talking to residents, and yep check them out. Yeah, I'm Sheriff's Office Sergeant Shea Haney. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Speaker: That's a wrap for this episode of All In Adams. Thank you for joining us as we explore the people, programs, and the policies that make Adams County a great place to live, work, and thrive.
Speaker: If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know. We're All In for bringing you the stories that matter most.
Speaker: Until next time, take care of each other and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X. We're all in, Adams, and we're all in for you.
