A Boca Raton Police officer is born
Boca Police recruit Ryan Maranges has just graduated from the police academy, and this month begins his new life as a rookie police officer.
Every year, the Boca Police has a recruiting class to join their team, and Maranges was lucky enough to be one of those recruits.
“These past six months have felt like the longest of my life, but once I got that badge today, it was all worth it,” said Maranges. “I cannot wait to start my new life as a Boca cop.”
Maranges, 24, graduated from Boca High and then went on to Palm Beach State College, but after years of trying to find out what he wanted to do for a living, he was lost. He decided that becoming a police officer in Boca Raton, where he has lived his whole life — he grew up in Boca Bath and Tennis — would be his best career option. He dropped out of his classes and applied to the police academy right away.
It was not always a dream of his to become a police officer, but his love for the city led him to the decision to serve. “Boca has always been home. People that work for the city only have good things to say,” said Maranges.
Boca is very different compared to the surrounding areas such as Ft. Lauderdale, Deerfield, Pompano, and West Palm Beach. Boca Raton is wealthier and safer than the other cities, and that is something that attracted Maranges. For example, the average income in Boca Raton households is $72,000 whereas Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach is around $45,000. He understands how dangerous being in the police force can be, and the track record of Boca Raton being a safe city made the decision a lot easier.
This also gave his fiancée, Lauren Campos, the reassurance she needed to not have to worry about him 24/7. “If he was working in Pompano or West Palm, I would be nervous every night he would go to work, but I’ve lived in Boca my whole life, and thankfully it is a pretty safe city,” said Campos. “The pay increase and retirement plan also made it easier not to stress so much. He is setting our future family up to be very successful.”
Boca Raton Police in 2018 changed their starting pay to $66,170 per year and that salary will only increase for Maranges with his years of service. “Boca is one of the highest paying cities in the state for cops, and since I just recently got engaged that for sure was a major factor in me going to the Police Academy,” said Maranges.
The police academy was a grind that Maranges was ready to take on. The stern manner in which he answered questions suggest he is a man ready for law enforcement and the need to project confidence when on the beat. Long days, no free time, and not much of a personal life are things that Maranges had to overcome. It was six months of 12-hour days, Monday through Friday. They don’t have to check in until 11:45, and that was perfect because he had to drive 30 minutes to Lake Worth because there isn’t a police academy in Boca. The Boca Raton Police sponsored him to take classes there, but still guaranteed him a spot on their team.
As soon as he started classes, he asserted himself as a leader and earned the spot as a “Squad Leader.” He was in charge of making sure everyone in his squad was properly dressed in his or her uniform as soon as they arrived.
“Ryan was a leader from the first day of the academy. He showed up every day ready to work and having him as a friend and a leader helped me pass my quizzes,” said fellow police recruit, Mario Gomez.
Maranges felt like he was back in school, but with a lot more pressure. There were 17 blocks, or chapters, and at the end of each chapter was either a quiz or a practical. If you would fail a quiz or practical you get another chance to pass it, and if you fail that attempt, you have to come back next year and apply again.
His fiancée saw how bad he wanted to not just pass, but ace every single quiz. “He would stay up real late before a test or field event and study nonstop. He studied more for this than any test in college,” said Campos. “I’m so happy he passed all of them. He would’ve been devastated if he failed.”
It wasn’t just the mental aspect of the academy that made Ryan nervous, it was the physical aspect. They had to workout, run, and shoot guns as a practical and this was the hardest part for him. “I see myself as a pretty fit guy, but the fire arms block was probably the hardest physical activity I’ve ever done. Focusing and shooting guns while running and laying on the ground is something you just cannot prepare for,” said Maranges, who luckily passed the first time.
The last part of his training was the one that he was dreading the whole six months: the pepper spray. They had to get peppered sprayed in the eyes and then complete an obstacle course. The amount of pain he had to endure still makes him upset to this day.
“That was the worst experience of my life. I wouldn’t even want to pepper spray someone because of the slim chance it could get in my eyes,” said Maranges.
He has his whole life ahead of him, and he plans to dedicate it to serving the citizens of Boca Raton. In his mind, it was worth all of the studying and pain to be able to serve the city he has lived in his whole life and support his future family.
“All I want to do is have a long career of being a good police officer that can change the public image of cops,” said Maranges. He has the support of his family and his fiancé behind him every step of the way, and he doesn’t take that for granted.
