[Name of the Writer]
[Name of Instructor]
Internship
[Date]
Journal Assignment Week 1-6
Week 1
Q.1 Which precinct were you assigned to?
Being enrolled in Bachelors of criminal justice requires hands-on experience with the standard operating procedures of the law enforcement agencies. To gain this experience, I am assigned to 113th precinct in Queens, New York.
Q.2 What was the first thing you did upon entering?
There were multiple thoughts going on in my head regarding what I would do on entering the building. Once I was in the building, I was conferred with my identification card and other credentials.
Q.3 Who did you first meet and introduce yourself to?
Upon entering the building, I was greeted by Lt. Josezef Ban. His enthusiasm with which he greeted the interns further elevated my confidence. After that, I was introduced to Officer Mamadau and Officer Macnear.
Q.4 Describe the people you first met and their role?
Officer Mamadau is among the first person whom I met or introduced myself to. Mr. Mamadau is working as a crime victim advocate. He explained to me the pain through which victims go.
Q.5 Describe your initial impression of the precinct, did you feel welcomed, did you feel unwelcomed, and why?
The 113th precinct is equipped with state of the art equipment and technologies. I was astounded with the practices intact within the precinct. I felt welcomed. The reason is NYPD values people from diverse backgrounds.
Q.6 Were you given a tour of the precinct? If so, describe what they showed you and what you learned from the tour?
Before entering the precinct, I was hoping to benefit from its tour. I was fortunate enough to receive the tour of the precinct. I was shown around the office. The modern equipment and practices in place reflect how effectively NYPD is working to serve the community.
Q.7 What tasks or responsibilities did they give you for today?
Today I was tasked with picking up phone calls regarding domestic violence. Additionally, I was also commanded to follow up those calls to inquire about issue redressal. At the end of the day, I stored all the relevant information of the day into the police system.
Q.8 Did you have any problems or questions about the task? Explain
In the beginning, there were problems because I was getting used to the police system. However, now, being fully acquainted with the procedures, I did not face any problem with the tasks at hand.
Q.9 How was your questions or problems resolved if you had any.
Although there are hardly any questions arise, when they do I always approach my supervisor.
Q.10 How did you end your day, what was the last thing you did before leaving?
Working with the law enforcement officers can be nerve-wracking given the tough nature of work, however, I always try to end my day at a good note. Before leaving, I ensure that I had submitted the required information in the police system or not.
Week 2
Q.1 What is its business? Internship at the precinct.
New York Police Department (NYPD) is the largest and the oldest police departments in the country. NYPD claims to be the finest at their work. NYPD performs various functions ranging from public safety, traffic management, emergency response, and counter-terrorism. NYPD has significantly reduced crime related to property and violence.
Q.2 Explain the daily operations of the precinct?
As mentioned above, the New York Police Department performs various operations. The 113th precinct is no exception. The day starts with all officers receiving a briefing from their respected team leaders. After the briefing teams get onto their assigned tasks. As I am currently assigned with the responsibility of picking phone calls and entering the data in the police system, I discharge these duties.
Q.3 Describe the roles of the different members in the precinct?
An institution is made up of people coming from different ranks. In the 113th precinct, there are detectives, sergeants, lieutenants, officers, and captains. All these people have been assigned different tasks. Sgt. Macnear is tasked with giving hands-on experience of body camera to the interns. Officer Mamadau is an advocate for crime victims.
Q.4 How were you oriented to your position?
The purpose of the orientation was to introduce me to the role in which I have been posted. I was made familiar with a different type of policing techniques. The practices with which NYPD are better catering to the needs of the citizens were also described in the orientation session. Additionally, the idea of giving back to the community was disseminated.
Q.5 Describe in detail your duties?
As an intern, there are not many responsibilities put on my shoulder. However, I ensure to perform my duties honestly. Currently, I am assigned with the duties to pick up phone calls of domestic violence victims. I am also tasked with following up to the calls to check for issue redressal. Lastly, I am directed to upload all the information in the police system.
Q.6 Did you have any training?
Training is by far the most important thing in order to excel in any department within the law enforcement agency. I was trained in picking up phone calls, following standard procedures after picking the call. Additionally, I was trained to use the police system. Lastly, I was given a brief training regarding the handling of body cameras.
Week 3
Q.1 What people did you work with today? Describe what they did.
Today I worked with a number of people. I worked with officer Mamadou for a small part of the day. Mr. Mamadou was working on the case of domestic violence. The case was about a woman who was badly beaten by her husband over a petty issue. Mr. Mamadou conducted an interview with the woman to document her perspective regarding the case. For a large part of the day, I worked with an officer to assist him in picking phone calls of domestic violence victims.
Q.2 Did you learn anything new from your team members?
Learning is a continuous process and it must never be forsaken. Every day an individual goes through multiple experiences. These experiences provide ample opportunities to reflect back and develop one's self into a better person. I learned different things from team members. For instance, a team member of mine, when responding to a call, displays so much respect, compassion, and empathy towards the victim on the other side of the line. This attitude of him has provided me to follow his footsteps to better serve the community.
Q.3 Describe how you felt during the initial entry and orientation to this internship or your workplace?
Before assuming the charge, I was occupied with mixed feelings. I was anxious about how would it be on the initial entry and orientation. However, the moment I stepped into the precinct, the anxious feelings were gone. Officer Mamadau greeted me with great passion. From the start, every person I interacted with was helping. There is an environment of mutual respect in the precinct. It was demonstrated during the orientation session. The interns were being treated as they had been working there for a long time.
Q.4 What possible obstacles or challenges are you concerned about?
Being concerned about a particular challenge is an important thing. It provides you with a reality check on how well you are doing in your field. Working in the law enforcement agency is itself a big challenge. However, my biggest challenge about which I am concerned is getting as much information as I can. The reason is that I want to be successful in this field of law enforcement. Having collected required information would put me a step ahead from the rest of the candidates when I take this role full time. It would help me to better serve my community.
Week 4
Q.1 For your position, what are your strengths did you notice, such as the soft skills you possess (Soft skills include qualities such as flexibility, time management, being a team player, patience, persistence, etc.)?
Every individual has strengths that help them with the job they are working on. Having strengths is one thing, employing those strengths to the fullest to better perform routine tasks is another. My biggest strengths are that I am a hard working individual. I am punctual, disciplined, determined and dedicated. Interpersonal skills and respectfulness are other skills that I have acquired over time.
Q.2 How do your strengths help with your tasks and responsibilities?
Only those strengths are beneficial which help an individual with discharging his duties effectively. My biggest strength is hard working. This strength helps me cope with any situation. Being punctual and disciplined helps me to get things done on par with their deadlines. Being dedicated and determined are considered to be the biggest strengths when working in law enforcement agencies. These strengths have enabled me to cope with the tough nature of this job.
Q.3 What weakness did you notice about yourself? What soft skill might you not have?
There is nothing to be ashamed of the weaknesses an individual have. Sometimes these weaknesses turn out to be the biggest strengths. Although I have rarely missed a deadline, when I do miss a deadline, it makes me worried about it. I take unnecessary stress over it. Some of the soft skills that I would like to develop over time in order to effectively discharge my duties are Empathy, Compassion, Good Communication, Active Listening, Adaptability, Building Trust, Critical Thinking and Observation, Conflict Resolution, Open-mindedness.
Q.4 How does this hinder you in your position?
Taking stress over a missed deadline is not considered to be a big deal. However, I take my job seriously and missing a deadline makes me nervous and anxious. It also has adverse effects on my work. I am unable to focus on the work for the rest of the day thinking about how I missed the deadline.
Q.5 How are you taking steps to overcome your weakness at your internship?
To overcome the weaknesses at the internship, I have started introspection. It would definitely help me to overcome my weaknesses. It would provide me an opportunity to better reflect into myself and change myself for the better.
Week 5
Q.1 Who introduced to you the body camera and what does it look like?
The addition of body camera in law enforcement has provided citizens with an opportunity to see themselves the tough nature of the job themselves. Sgt. Macnear introduced me to the body camera. I had seen a body camera prior to the internship. That is why it didn't make a much of a difference.
Q.2 Was it the first time you saw a body camera? What did you think of it?
No, this was not the first time I saw a body camera. I had seen it before the internship. I think that it is a great addition to law enforcement. It is helping to cultivate a more progressive image of the law enforcement agencies.
Q.3 What information did they give you about body cameras?
Since I was familiar with the body camera way earlier than the commencement of the internship, I had a lot of knowledge regarding body cameras. However, their purpose was disclosed by Sgt. Macnear that these are used for police safety and recording evidence.
Q.4 Does this person use body camera in their work? If so how or when do they use it? What is their opinion about body cameras?
As Sgt. Macnear was tasked to give information to the interns regarding body cameras, he himself wore one. Mr. Macnear wears a body camera at their work. He uses it when he is in the field. Mr. Macnear regards the addition of the body cameras into law enforcement as a remarkable decision.
Q.5 If they do not use body cameras, who in the precinct uses the body camera? Include their opinion about how they feel about body cameras.
Sgt. Macnear uses body camera in his work. Although Sgt. Macnear uses the camera when he is in the field, most of the in-house officers use them. Crime victim advocate considers body cameras instrumental in documenting evidence and statements.
Q.6 Do you feel comfortable using this technology? Explain if you were wearing a camera on your body and having your interactions recorded, how would that make you feel? Safer or stressed? Some people feel anxious or stressed because they are not comfortable being recorded. Others might feel safe.
There is no point in using technology if it makes you uncomfortable. I have worn a body camera, I would be totally comfortable with using this technology in the future. Knowing that my interactions are being recorded and I can be held accountable for them would definitely prevent me from dereliction in my duties.
Q.7 What is your initial opinion about body cameras? And why do you feel this way?
I think body cameras are a great addition to the law enforcement agencies. With body cameras, a progressive image of police is being disseminated. I feel this because, before the addition of body cameras, any officer involved incident was made contentious. However, now things have changed and people get to know things from the perspective of an officer.
Q.8 What benefits and drawbacks might they have in law enforcement?
Benefits of the body camera are great in number. They increase the safety of an officer. They improve accountability within the police department. They help the police to learn from the mistakes. Drawback includes the victims being exposed to the public.
Week 6
Q.1 Did you receive any evaluation from your supervisor about your work? What tasks did they evaluate? Such as responding to phone calls and follow up phone calls. Paperwork?
Although I am working hard and remain fully focused on my tasks, I am yet to receive an evaluation.
Q.2 Describe your evaluation such as, what did they observe you doing well at, what did they observe you needing more improvement on?
As I have mentioned, I am yet to receive an evaluation regarding my work.
Q.3 Which coworkers do you interact with most often? Why?
Most of the time I interact with Mr. Mamadau. The reason is that I am sometimes tasked to document the interview that he might be conducting with a victim. This provides me with an opportunity to see the level of atrocities being inflicted upon the domestic violence victims.
Q.4 What did you learn about having such relationships, is it beneficial to keep a professional and friendly relationship?
Maintaining a healthy relationship with peers is key to thrive in an organization. A healthy peer to peer relation helps an individual to excel in an organization of the nature of law enforcement.
Q.5 How does having good relations with the help you in your job/task?
Having a healthy relationship with colleagues is a blessing. Colleagues with whom you have a good relationship helps you out with so many things. I have been blessed with supportive colleagues. They had helped me to a great extent to help me perform my duties effectively.
Q.6 What are some things you are doing to improve your relations with your coworkers?
I am working hard to reciprocate the actions of my colleagues. For instance, if one of my colleagues had helped me with a task regarding my job, I would then try to offer my services to that colleague. Additionally, I am working on my soft skills to maintain a long term relationship with colleagues.
Q.7 Do you find it difficult to do so, or is it going well?
So far, I have been enjoying my relationship with my colleagues. Although there are some days when you are not feeling good and do not want to reciprocate the action of your colleague, I still do it for the sake of maintaining a health peer to peer relationship. Hence, it has been going great.
