From Saving Lives to Protecting Lives
PICTURED ABOVE
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Conservation Officer Darin Jacoby graduated from law enforcement basic training in December. Prior to entering law enforcement, Jacoby was an internal medicine doctor. He maintains his medical credentials as a doctor in the Kentucky Air National Guard. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
Law enforcement personnel come from a variety of backgrounds.
However, it is safe to say, few have taken the career path of Darin Jacoby to become an officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“I retired from civilian medical practice in 2019,” said Jacoby, who graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s Basic Training Class 513 on Dec. 11. “I’m still board-certified in internal medicine and have my Kentucky license and DEA license. I keep my medical licenses certified because I am in the Air National Guard as a physician.”
Jacoby, 54, graduated from the Joan C. Edward School of Medicine at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. in 1995, and completed his residency at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Soon after completing residency, he served with the Air Force as that branch of military paid for his medical degree.
“I received a military scholarship to pay for medical school,” he said. “When I finished my residency, they called up their debt. I went to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska and worked as an emergency room doctor and a flight surgeon. As a flight doc, I worked in Elmendorf for a little over four years.”
After his stint as an Air Force doctor, Jacoby briefly left the service and moved to West Virginia to work at a Veterans Administration hospital.
(Photo by Jim Robertson)
9/11
The easy transition from military service to the private sector was interrupted by the events of 9/11.
“When I got off active duty, I figured I was done with it,” Jacoby recalled. “I was at a Veterans Administration hospital watching the TV screen with some veterans in Clarksburg, W.Va. (when 9/11 happened).
Because of the terror attacks, Jacoby decided to continue his military career.
“By March 2002, I was in flight school in San Antonio, and on the anniversary of 9/11, I was flying into Afghanistan,” Jacoby continued. “I’ve been in the Guard even since, and I am now a lieutenant colonel.”
To Protect and Serve
After retiring from his civilian medical practice last year, Jacoby decided to pursue something he started chasing when he was an undergraduate student in college.
“During my youth, I was on track to pursue a law enforcement career,” he said. “I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. However, in college, I took some other courses, including biology, which blew my mind. So, I stayed in college a little longer and received several degrees.”
As retirement from his private practice drew near, many colleagues and patients asked him what he would do in retirement. Thinking back to his younger days, Jacoby told them that he was interested in becoming a “game warden” and KDFWR seemed to be a natural fit based on his interests.
Next came the application process with KDFWR, which included passing the Peace Officers Professional Standards test, a written exam and interviews.
(Photo by Jim Robertson)
Basic Training
Once he cleared the initial hurdles of the application process, Jacoby found himself in recruit basic training with members of Class 513.
Over the course of the training, Jacoby felt a sense of satisfaction, as he could keep stride with much younger recruits.
“I’m at least two decades older than my peers here, but physically, I enjoy it,” Jacoby said. “I have the motivation to be able to keep up. These guys are at the peak of their lives, and to be able to run with those big dogs is rewarding.”
Reflecting over his experiences in law enforcement basic training, Jacoby said he gained a completely new appreciation of the profession and the dedicated men and women who have answered the call. Moreover, he was also blown away by the dedication of the DOCJT instructors.
“I had no idea what officers go through every day and how hard of a job it is,” he said. “These instructors have years of experience, and they are genuinely concerned about what we will be facing.”
Class 513 graduated in mid-December, and Jacoby is now finishing his KDFWR-specific training before being assigned to Breckinridge County in western Kentucky, close to his home in Grayson County.
(Photo by Jim Robertson)
