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Colorado's oldest cop at 73 retires: "It's been one hell of a party." At age 50, when most people start thinking about winding down, Mike Kirkland decided to be a cop. So, in 1987, he entered the police academy with a bunch of 20-year-olds. He claims he had no problems keeping up. "I left them in the dust." For the first few years with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Mike worked as a volunteer deputy, then in 2007, he became a paid commissioned officer. He immediately got a lot of guff. "I've had people say to me, 'You're kind of old for a cop, aren't you?'" Kirkland said. Like most deputies, he worked in the jail, on solo patrol, served civil warrants, investigated property crimes and crimes against people, went undercover and conducted background checks before ending up in his last assignment, working with the public in community resources. "I owe the sheriff for allowing me to do this at my age and to keep making a contribution," Kirkland said. "The whole thing's been a party. I haven't done anything that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed." After 25 years on the job, Kirkland hung up his uniform and badge on July 20th and will help protect his community as a Community Safety Volunteer (CSV). "Working with Mike was such a privilege. He's been a team member and a mentor and I consider him family. Even though he was part time, he was here every day and whenever we needed him. I will miss seeing him so often," Sgt. Ron Hanavan, Kirkland’s supervisor, said. Mike's age and experience benefited him as a deputy. He'd previously served in the U.S. Air Force as a combat patroller and did a couple of tours in Vietnam. He was in Washington during the Nixon-Ford years and calls them "amazing times." He retired from the Air Force in 1976 in Omaha, NB. In 1990, Kirkland began working for Miter Corporation as a systems engineer on an advanced underground command post. When that project was done, he moved to Colorado to work in Cheyenne Mountain on a missile warning system and in NORAD's counter drug program. With a masters degree in criminal justice, Kirkland is also the lead faculty area chair for the criminal justice department at the University of Phoenix. He'll keep teaching after retiring as a deputy. He’ll also spend more time with his wife Lou and five kids. Vision: To BE THE LEADER in public safety!