Criminal Justice
My mentorship placements were focused in the Criminal Justice field. During my time in the program, I was able to participate in several police-ride-alongs and visit a 911 call center. Having the chance to spend several hours and experience real life situations with police officers and police personnel in different counties was monumental in helping me to realize that I'd like to continue my career path in the criminal justice field.
I went on three separate ride along; one with the Calvert County Police, one with the Maryland State Police, and one with the Hyattsville Police Department. These trips let me experience both rural and urban patrols as well as spend time with both male and female officers. I learned about the various aspects of the different jobs involved in the field and got to see both the action packed days and see the follow up of daily police activity.
On my first ride along I stayed for nine hours because there was so much to witness. We pulled over many people for several reasons such as speeding and texting and driving. The officer showed me how to clock the speed and when we pulled someone over, I was given the chance to help decide if a ticket was warranted based on the laws of the road. We also drove to a heroin overdose and arrested a couple for domestic violence. There was never a break from all the action and chaos around us.
My second ride along was a little calmer and more investigative and we were trying to solve a missing persons case. I never got to hear the ending, but it was still interesting to participate in. My third
ride along was spent sitting in the patrol car on the side of the road and not much happened We pulled over one car and that was the extent of the action. This experience helped me to understand that not every day is filled with lots of action, even though TV portrays it that way. The best part about my rides alongside the officers was the chance to spend time with a female officer and discuss how females are treated differently in the force. I learned a great deal from her and she was super sweet and answered my many questions!
My favorite trip was to the 911 call center. I got to see how they use their multiple computers, answer calls, and use the system. This was super exciting, and I believe I would like this job in the future. It started out a little slowly, but calls started coming in faster as the night went on. A lot f the calls who didn't know any better or accidental dials, one where we listened to a gentleman who was out exercising and didn't realize his error. Each time a call comes in, they have to send an officer to every location of the calls just in case of an emergency. i can really see myself doing that job and am happy I got to learn more about it. I really enjoyed all of the activities I had the opportunity to participate in and the mentorship program was definitely worth it. It opened my eyes to what my future could look like.