Officer Colin Blackburn attended the BIA Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. He started on January 14, 2020 and was supposed to graduate on April 6. Due to the COVID–19 pandemic the academy was shut down on March 20, and he was sent home, two weeks short of graduation.

The BIA Indian Police Academy then sent SUPD a curriculum so that he could fulfill the requirements for graduation. We utilized our in-house instructors and got Officer Blackburn up to speed and he received his diploma on Thursday, May 7 and was sworn in Friday, May 8. Officer Blackburn began working with SUPD on Monday, May 11, and is currently with his Field Training officer for the next sixteen weeks.