Jimenez joins the Austin Police department
Published 10:23 am Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Jorge Jimenez, right, swore to serve and protect Austin as an Austin Police Officer Monday morning with Director of Administrative Services Tom Dankert. Jimenez recently joined the police force. — Jenae Hackensmith/jenae.hackensmith@austindailyherald.com
Another new police officer joined the Austin Police Department Monday morning.
Jorge Jimenez, 30, took his oath to protect and serve the Austin community to the best of his ability in the City Council Chambers.
“I’m very proud to be serving the citizens of Austin,” Jimenez said. “I’m very honored to be working for the Police Department in the city of Austin.”
Jimenez went to school at Normandale Community College for his Associates of Science in Law Enforcement degree and Minneapolis Community and Technical College for his law enforcement skills, went to the Center for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement in St. Paul, and has worked at the detention center in Steele County for about two-and-a-half years.
He also spent a year in Mexico learning Spanish.
“I’m very proud of that and I’ve been more than helpful many times at the detention center, I’ve been able to translate in Spanish …” he said. “So I believe that me working here is going to be a great influence for the Hispanic community and hopefully bring more of the Hispanic link more into the community for the city of Austin.”
Jimenez hopes to add to the department with his personality, skills he has learned through working at the detention center, and more diversity to the department, as he is of Hispanic decent.
Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger said although the department is not massive, it isn’t small either, and Jimenez will be part of the family.
“Whatever shift he ends up on, he will be treated with respect by his coworkers, he will be expected to hold up his end of the bargain, being able to do his duties,” he said.
Jimenez’s first day with the department was Monday, and he will go through an intensive two-week, in-house training, followed by about three months of a field training officer program where he will work in all shifts with officers who will make sure he is ready to get out on his own.
“Until that time happens, Jorge will not be put out in the squad car until he’s ready to go,” Krueger said.
Jimenez was born in Pasadena, California, and moved to Minnesota at the age of 16, where he “fell in love with the state, fishing and hunting.” Jimenez replaces officer Chris Garbisch who retired, according to Krueger.
