FARMINGTON – Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy David Rackliffe said he is used to walking into a whirlwind situation and trying to make some semblance of order. And the self-proclaimed “high-energy guy” likes to do things right.

The Weld man initially chose careers in business and then as a paramedic, but when the opportunity arose in Rangeley to work as a reserve police officer, he took it.

He had always wanted to be a law enforcer, he said, and once he tried it he liked it.

The 36-year-old graduated several days ago from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.

Fellow law enforcement cadets enrolled in the same 18-week course apparently sensed his leadership capability, and elected Rackliffe president of his class.

Rackliffe had a chance to demonstrate his skills during the second week of training, after the cadre chose him to lead the class for that week. In Week 10, he was president.

It was difficult at first for the 54 cadets – from across Maine and in different branches of the profession including municipal, state and tribal police – to work together, Rackliffe said.

But the turning point in the military-style training session came one night when the cadets were out running and singing cadence.

It was then that the class, which chose a “United We Stand” motto, started to solidify as a team and learned to work together, he said.

The deputy said that when he was first chosen as president, he could not make up his mind if his peers hated him or liked him.

“I’m the only one that has a job for life,” Rackliffe said.

Part of that job is organizing reunions and scholarships, if that’s what members want to do.

As president, Rackliffe’s duty during the session was to provide a stable leadership for the last weeks of the program.

He worked with the weekly leader of the class to make sure things ran smoothly, and tried to bring a consistency to leadership by helping the leader gain experience.

Rackliffe said that while others were enjoying free time from training, Rackliffe spent his time organizing things for graduation, including the ceremony itself, getting class T-shirts, writing his presidential address and arranging for the class gift for the academy: two western red cedar park benches.

On top of all that, Rackliffe, one of the 49 members that graduated, earned the Highest Academic Achievement Award.

Rackliffe, who is still a paramedic, said he chose law enforcement as a career because he wanted to make a more positive impact on the community.

“I’m a pretty high-energy guy,” he said. “I like to do and I like to make a difference in people’s lives. … If you get one drunk driver off the road, that affects the entire community.”

The deputy was on duty Friday to start his first week back on patrol since graduating.

“I am looking forward to getting back to work and working with people in the community to make our community a better place,” Rackliffe said. “It’s more exciting than class because you’re back here making a difference.”

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