PROFILES OF 3 RECRUITS : Interpreter Job Sparked Desire to Be Officer

What kind of people do police agencies in Orange County want to recruit? Says Susan Saxe-Clifford, a forensic psychologist who works for the county Sheriff’s Department:

“Someone who is mature, responsible, physically fit, understands what the job is about, has prepared well for a career, has good relationships in his or her personal life, is articulate and has a stable job history. And a sense of humor too.”

Staff writer Jerry Hicks prepared profiles of three recent honors recruits of the county Sheriff’s Training Academy.

Ramon Collell was 7 years old when his family fled Cuba to escape Castro. He still remembers much about it, including his parents’ anxiety about what was ahead for them.

His parents were beaming a few weeks ago when Collell was named Outstanding Recruit at the Sheriff’s Training Academy. He was also class president and won top honors in the practical application section.

Collell, 24, is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles who for years has wanted to be both a pilot and a police officer. At the Anaheim Police Department, which has its own helicopter unit, he hopes to be both.

Collell has lived most of his life in Anaheim since his family left Cuba. He became interested in the Anaheim police a few years ago when he signed up as a volunteer Spanish interpreter for the department. He would get calls in the middle of the night to interpret for officers who encountered someone who spoke only Spanish. It meant a lot of trips to crime scenes and hospitals.

“It gave me a chance to see police work close up, and I liked what I saw,” Collell said.

Collell was at the head of the class of 63 recruits on his grades midway through the training period and stayed there.

“Some days you would get up and think, do I really want to go through this another week,” Collell said. “But after a few weeks, you begin to see what it is they’re trying to teach you. It didn’t get easier knowing that, but at least you didn’t dread so much getting up in the mornings.