my internship in the Findlay Police Department

my internship in the Findlay Police Department

I was privileged to do my internship in the Findlay Police Department. I had looked forward to this experience as I have always been interested in being in any process of the criminal justice system. Having to work in the police department would have been the perfect place to start since it is where the action was. The idea was to interact with the police and experience the different roles that they handle in the process. These are various and included patrols and crime prevention, investigations and court work amongst others.

There were various roles that were prescribed for the interns in the institution. These include having to log into the system in the hours that he is expected to appear in the host agency. I was also tasked with observing and reporting the activities that would be taking place in the organization. Another role was that of communicating with the officers and non-sworn personnel working within the industry. In the case that I am summoned to the courts, it is my duty to attend and serve as a witness. As an intern within the institution, I was also told to follow orders that are given by the officers, especially when they touch on personal safety.

Lastly, I was supposed to report to the special services lieutenant on a regular basis. To handle these duties, there is knowledge, skills and/or abilities that I had which could help improve such a situation. One of these was the ability to be sane and be able to react rationally in whatever situation. The person should also be able to read and comprehend detail destructions and follow them accordingly. It should also be possible to keep secrets and operate on a confidential manner, this way, it will be possible for those working there to handle sensitive issues in a proper manner.

The ability for an individual to communicate with those involved in the organization. This way, it will be possible for everybody involved in the instance to communicate together in an effective manner. The qualifications include a high school diploma and a GED equivalent and should be in a position of receiving at least a college certification. These are all qualifications that I possess and thus I could handle anything thrown at me in the institution.

On the first day of my experience, I was able to meet the people that I would have been working together with. One of these is the Lieutenant Michael D. Swope who was to be my superior. I was also excited to go for the patrol since it was the first time I would be able to experience life with people that are on the ground in such matters. The calls were many and diverse in nature.Overall, the lieutenant, who I was supposed to work alongside, was kind and genuine. He always responded to the calls to the best of his abilities and would ensure that I understand everything that was happening and whether or not it should have been.

There are many lessons that I have learnt from this internship that are applicable in life regardless of the circumstances. One of these is the matter of teamwork collaboration. It is important for any unit of an organization to find a way to work together and effectively solve a goal. Although I went on patrol with only one officer, we were a network of more than just two. On the contrary, there was dispatch who coordinated the necessary activities by constantly communicating through the centralized system. As such, he/she would identify a crime, its location and important information. The officer could also communicate with colleagues often. As a result, it was possible to mobilize a lot of units easily incase they are needed somewhere.

I also learned that the job of a police officer is almost always perceived wrongly. Most of the work that they handle is not about crimes that need punishment and discipline. On the contrary, they mostly go to solve cases that are mainly concerns of the community and nothing more. A case is that of the old woman who had noticed that a certain car had parked in front of her house for over one year. Although it could be nothing, it is a case that should be reported to the police to look into and propose a definite solution for. In most cases, one expects the life of a policeman to involve chasing people down streets using guns and chasing them in highways. This is not an accurate representation of their daily lives.

Most of the time, the knowledge and expectations that I had about the criminal justice systems are as a result of what I have seen in the media. Although I cannot describe myself as an avid viewer of true crime series which are designed to highlight the world of crime, the view that I hold is still significantly influenced by these television series. The amount that I have seen is significant enough to influence my perception of the situation. As such, what I found in reality was significantly different from what was true. By focusing on stories that are dramatic and which are rare cases, mass media went on to make the situation seem like a lot of serious things happen.

I also learnt that the influence that the police have in the city is much more than what one might think. I realized this in the case where we went to handle a case at Chase Bank in the area. The reason for the call was to tell of a client that was being problematic and who would not take no for an answer. Although the bank acknowledged having his account and the amount that he had requested for, they wanted him to understand that they would have to wait for a few days for the entire process to be done. After we arrived, the individual calmed down and decided to trust the bank. In that instance, it appeared that the individual trusted the word of the police more than that of the banker. The reason is that he understood that the police offers law and can be able to balance the situation and ensure that justice and equality prevailed.

I have also participated in earlier classes that have made it easy for me to understand the criminal justice issues even more. One of these is Behavioral psychology. This is a small course that lasts only around 6 months and can be handled online. This is a beneficial course because it tells what inspires different people to indulge in their various behaviors. For this reason, it is possible for the officer to be able to deter an individual from committing a crime or doing something bad. For instance, a person who is walking with his hands in his pocket, in a slouched position and nervously looking around is one that is liable of committing a crime at any point.

This is something that one can understand and be on the lookout for in both the short and long terms. Another course that can go on to improve my knowledge of criminal justice that I had done prior was a small online course about mental health in human beings. For a long time, there are many cases that were treated as criminal when in reality they were not. Instead, they were cases of mental health that should have been treated. I have thus come to understand that the mental health issues of many people today is one of the main reasons for delinquent behavior. Issues such as PTSD can make an individual think in aggressive manners all the time. For instance, a soldier who is from war might still think they are at war even while at home. He will, therefore, be more prone to committing crimes such as murder and assault in what is perceived defense.

There are different mental health issues, some which can be treated while others cannot. Conditions such as schizophrenia and other manic episodes as well as major bouts of depression, psychotic disorders and substance abuse amongst many others. While doing the patrols with the next officer, I was able to come across individuals who I thought were not right mentally and should have been treated either while incarcerated and while outside. An elderly woman called and claimed that her vehicle was vandalized by a young girl at around 3 am. She claimed that the girl went around the vehicle hitting, breaking and scratching the vehicle. According to the woman, she does not know the girl and did not lose any valuables in the car. This, to me, sounded like a woman that was having a fit. This could be a psychotic or manic episode or just the result of substance abuse. All of these deserved treatment even though it is in different capacities.

I also had taken a crash course on government which is a course that explains how the entire system works. There are many individuals that are players in the government agencies who have the role of keeping the people of the specific territory safe and secure. These government employees have different roles such as that of law enforcement which is mainly carried out by the police. I got to experience all of this in actual terms since we were involved in some cases from when they were reported to when they had to go to court. As such, I came across various workers and instruments of the government that were responsible for handling criminal justice issues.

The most interesting thing I learned about the different government instruments is that they were far more sophisticated and developed than many people might think. The detectives, judges and lawyers working on a case are usually not the only ones involved in the process. On the contrary, there is a large group of other people who work behind the scenes yet they are barely recognized. In many television shows that I have watched including Suits, the battle of any court case is usually between the prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges and the police. However, behind these are court clerks and document reviewers amongst many others. These are the individuals who have to do a lot of groundwork before there can be a concrete case for the other players to be involved.

I greatly enjoyed my internship process and it went well over my expectations. Although I had expected a lot of action that would leave me too tired at the end of the day, I was not sure that I would have been able to handle it. However, the cases that mainly came in were ones that I would describe as warm. They did not have a lot going on and did not involve too much conflict. As such, such instances made me feel prepared and able to handle even tougher tasks by the day. Although some of the cases we dealt with were unpleasant, all of them were completely new and helped me to understand how the police and law enforcement agencies were supposed to work. Although the police has its shortcomings, they do whatever they can to try and control these situations.

I was lucky to come across individuals that positively impacted my chance to learn. I had seen the movie training day which showed how a corrupt police officer had tried to train a rookie on his first day there. The trainer was so dirty that his student almost lost faith in the entire system. However, he learnt that the trainer was the problem and he tried his best to ensure that he would not become dirty too. I thought it would be like this only that I would not have been prepared to counter the individual. However, this was not the case. Instead, I met a trainer that was also a mentor. Lieutenant Michael was a man of integrity where both his thoughts and actions were concerned.

I developed a lot personally by integrating with these individuals in the system. For one, I have learned about the importance of respecting the diversity that exists in the typical workplace. In the criminal justice system the diversity is far wider than what exists in other cases. For that reason, I have grown to be patient with people. I have grown to be a good listener that will let the other person speak before I can interrupt him/her. Sometimes, interrupting people makes it hard for them to express their views and opinions. When that cannot happen, it then becomes tough for the aggressive party to do what they can to accommodate the different parties. In all of the cases that we had been called in as complaints, I always found it important to introduce ourselves and then ask for what happened.

After the introduction, I like first going to the person who made the call and ask them of the story if they are in a position to talk about it. If they tell, we then go to the accused and ask him to tell the story. In most instances, these individuals tell their story and it turns out that there is just a little misunderstanding that was dividing them. Even in instances where the people have a major conflict, it becomes easy for them to sort it out effectively if they are in a position to communicate and listen to each other. I have also learnt the importance of communication and the etiquette to apply while in the process. Apart from being able to communicate, knowing when and how to go about it is important as it can make or break the message.

The way that the members of the force were communicating showed that they did not have a problem in that sector. After dispatch called, the response was almost immediate. These individuals talked about not only was happening already but also what they intended to do in different instances. For that reason, the team, despite being very big, was able to act as one big unit. Everybody knew what the other person would do was before they started acting. In whatever team one is involved in, I think it is important for them to communicate as constantly in precise and exact manners. The reason for this is that it makes it possible for one to do their job in an accommodative manner. If the individual is mindful of the next party, then he will do his best to ensure that he has left the situation in a manner that will make it easy for the other party to do their roles.

If it was possible, I would not mind having another experience such as what I did while doing my internship. However, it would be ideal if the institution was able to pass the power of policymaking to the people on the ground; the police officers. This would be ideal because these individuals have the experience and knowledge that they need to ensure they equip themselves better for these potential experiences. Unless lawmakers experience that lives themselves, it becomes tough for them to pass reliable bills that will improve the situation. It would also be helpful if the media would have found a balance when it came to how they portray the criminal justice system. With an appropriate portrayal of the system, it can be possible for everybody involved to handle the situation better. The reason for that will be that they will not have the view of the world being too scary. In instances such as jury trials, it can be risky to have a person who views the world as scary and his security and comfort being always under threat. This can make it tough for people who are perceived to be criminal and that might never be. I enjoyed my internship and learned a lot from it.