Imagine being hired for a job before having any experience or training—only a desire to learn and jump right in.
That’s essentially the process Cody Diller—a deputy with the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department—went through in his journey to becoming a law enforcement officer.
“My mom said ever since I was about 5 or 6 years old that I always wanted to be a cop or a soldier,” said Diller, who graduated from San Benito High School in 2006, completed a semester at Gavilan College and then joined the U.S. Army at 18.
During his military service, which included a year in Afghanistan with Special Operations, Diller was injured and returned to the United States for rehabilitation. He continued his education and earned an associate’s degree in general studies, and while in rehab, he applied with the SBC Sheriff’s Department.
“If I hadn’t been injured, I’d probably have stayed in military because that was my goal at the time,” Diller, 26, said. “But I submitted an application (for the sheriff’s office) online and got a callback and then had an oral board where I answered questions from county and sheriff’s personnel. Then they gave me a conditional job offer.”
After passing a polygraph test and psychological exam, Diller was hired in April 2014 and the department put him through the academy in Santa Clara County. He completed training in February and has been working solo for a few months now.
“There’s a lot that goes into hiring somebody from the very beginning,” Diller said. “When you hire a recruit, you’re basically hiring a civilian. You’re going to take them from being a civilian and turn them into a police officer, so it’s a lot longer process (than hiring a lateral from another department).”
Diller said there were between 50 and 60 applicants, and attributes a variety of things to his being selected—including his military background.
“I’m sure the military experience was helpful and they liked the discipline the military instills, along with the physical fitness and my special ops training,” he said. “But I think a lot of it comes down to how you present yourself during the oral board. You have to show them how you think and show maturity. You’re asking a community to trust you walking around with a gun. It’s a lot of responsibility and a commitment to them as well.”
Diller, who has two younger brothers, said he wasn’t sure he’d want to work in his hometown and that running into people he knows is a concern.
“Originally, I wasn’t all that keen on working where I lived, but it grew on me as a way to give back,” he said. “(Bumping into friends and family members) can be awkward. For some situations, it’s not possible to be unbiased. If I’m talking about one of my cousins or a close relative, I should not be handling that call. The department has made it clear that I can stop and have one of them handle it.”
Another concern that Diller hopes to rectify soon is his inability to fully communicate with local Spanish speakers. Learning the language is high on his to-do list, as is eventually earning a bachelor’s degree.
“A lot of people are Spanish-speaking only and it can make consensual encounters or traffic stops difficult,” he said. “There are things we use to identity how people are feeling. Are they happy, nervous? Are they upset? Are they angry? Is someone about to attack me? Those things are hard to know when you don’t know what someone is saying.”
Regardless of their native tongue, Diller said it’s important to treat every call and every resident with concern and respect.
“One thing I learned very quick in this job is every call we go to is somebody’s worst day,” he said. “To us, it might only be the fourth or fifth worst call of that day—we might be there thinking ‘It’s not that bad; you should see the girl we had to take to the hospital 20 minutes ago’—but to them it could be the end of the world. So you really have to be careful about how you present yourself and how you interact with the public.”
Diller said he was attracted to the job in part due to the variety of calls and the ability to be out and about with his community.
“I will never have the same day twice in this job,” he said. “It’s similar to the way I operated in the military. I never have to worry about being bored. Something I love about the sheriff’s office is that I can go anywhere I want. If I want to come into the city and help out, I can. It’s a multi-faceted job and that’s what makes it fun. You just never know what’s going to happen.”
When not patrolling the streets of San Benito County, Diller enjoys going to the gym, family dinners every Sunday and shooting a bow, which his dad taught him when he was about 10 years old. Recently he has become more interested in bow hunting, and plans to hunt elk in Idaho soon.
Diller, who currently lives in Hollister with his family, is also looking to purchase a home in the area.
“I’d like to find something within about 20 miles,” he said. “When we work a 12-hour shift, I don’t want to add to the workday with a long commute.”
According to Diller, it’s a difficult time to be a peace officer, but it suits him and he loves going to work every day.
“A lot of people are leaving law enforcement because it’s not worth it,” Diller said. “Right now is probably the most dangerous time to be an officer in U.S. history. You absolutely cannot do this job if you don’t love it.”