Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

The Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department is one of the biggest agencies in California.

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year? What has made it a positive experience for you?
• Some things that have worked well for me regarding my senior project this year is finding more mentors that specialize in certain fields within the law enforcement career and being able to go on as many ride along as I wish to. One part that I want to incorporate in my senior project is the different perspectives from Sherriff's and Police Department. Every agency has their own way of handling calls for service therefore, joining another explorer post would benefit my project a lot more.
• My mentors are always supportive and helpful in many different ways. Going on ride alongs has taught me a lot about becoming a police officer. One must be able to perform under pressure, be able to make quick decisions and always keep "Officer Safety" in mind.
2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project? How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you? How might the senior team help?
• What I find difficult concerning my senior project is the scheduling that I have between my mentors and I. It tends to get very difficult at times to go on ride alongs because my mentor will cancel last minute due to having a busy work schedule or an emergency that must be taken care of. There are several ways I can adapt to the problem and that is go on ride alongs with other officers even though they are not my mentor. Like I've stated before, every agency has their own way of handling calls for service and within that agency officers tend to have their own way of handling a call. Riding with Officers who are not my mentors will teach me several ways of handling  calls for service or different techniques when it comes to police reports. Another thing that I find somewhat difficult is being able to go on ride alongs with other agencies. Some agencies have an age limit which is 18 years of age and other agencies you must be a participating Explorer. I may have found the solution to the previous concern and that is joining another explorer post but instead of being the Police Department it would be the Sherriff's Department. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way possible that the senior team may be able to help.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

The picture above was taken long before my interviewee who is on the right side, Jeffrey Cox, retired.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview? Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?
• There are several things that I learned throughout the interview but something that stood out the most was the change in Law Enforcement back then to now and the way it's viewed by the outside world. Mr. Cox stated that people now have a tendency of using their cellphones to either take picture or record the scene when officer are responding to a call for service. The action that those people take are making the life of an officer much more difficult due to being viewed in various ways. One common error that is done by citizens is that if a police officer is seen going hands on a suspect it is right away determined as "Police Brutality" therefore laws and regulations are being changed and enforced. Today's technology is much more advanced than technology from 20 years ago and that is mainly because the world we live in is constantly innovating everything. It does make communication much more easier, but it also makes the internet a much more useful tool which in some cases is not needed when used in the wrong way.
• I would ask more questions and try to have better communication with the person I'm interviewing. I would also relax a bit more so that the interview flow much more smoothly.
2. Did I get additional resources and contacts? What is the most useful? Why?
• In the interview itself I did not get any additional contacts that would benefit me but I did receive a recommendation of people who I should interview next for further information about Law Enforcement. Mr. Cox informed me about retired or active police officers that write books, one being Joseph Wambaugh who wrote "The Onion Field" based on a true story. Before starting the interview Mr. Cox had informed me of several connections he has who are retired Officers, FBI Agents, detectives, Captains, etc. that would benefit me in my Senior Project.
3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?
• My interviewee is a retired officer who worked for two different Police Departments in his short career time. Mr. Cox has experience with K9, detective work, patrol officer, Explorer Advisor, and performing the task of a Corporal as well as Sergeant. Due to Mr. Cox's background affiliation with Law Enforcement and the countless hours he put in work for his career it can be said that he was successful in that field of choice. Although he retired at an early age he shows knowledge of effective techniques that are implemented in his daily life and has also helped him become the person who he is today. 
   

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep

 

1. Write a short explanation of what you are hoping to accomplish through your senior project topic. You will be sharing out on what you've written here with your house advisory and classmates on Friday, 9/11.
• Throughout the course of my Senior Project which is, Law Enforcement, I am hoping to accomplish many things with it. First of all, the main reason why Law Enforcement is my Senior Project Topic is due to the fact that in today's society Law Enforcement Officers are viewed matter, criticized and looked down upon. Many believe that Law Enforcement Officers abuse of the power that is given to them and don't do what's right for the community. A goal would be to prove all the people with those types of mentality wrong. In the 3 years that I've been in the Explorers Program I've had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with many Police Officers as well as retired ones. I've learned so much about them and I've also had the chance of riding with some. While on patrol I get to see the many things that others don't such as the stress that they undergo and the critical decisions they make in a blink of an eye. It is their duty to keep the community safe and help anyone who needs it. Law Enforcement Officers out their lives on the line for citizens whom they don't even know. They take their job seriously; even though, there are some Officers who do abuse the power they have it does not necessarily mean that all of them fall under that same category. In today's society everyone receives a label no matter of their so called "ranking in life". It's all about how you act in life or your physical appearance which is how one is judged by others. Officers receive the label of "pigs" which does go back to many years. This is an example that everyone is given labels and the amount of authority or their profession would not matter. One last thing that I plan to accomplish through my Senior Project Topic is to give other individuals the basic knowledge about the way Law Enforcement truly works and the different divisions a department may offer. For those who are interest but don't know where to begin their research, my topic will give them the necessary tools to understand a lot better what Law Enforcement is about. Many believe that once you go into the Law Enforcement career you will always be a Patrol Officer which is not true. There are opportunities throughout your career that will allow you to rank up which is the same thing as receiving a promotion. Another way to become something "greater" is to specialize in something specific such as Narcotics, Undercover, Gangs, etc. In order to become an Officer who is qualified and ready to be an expert in a specific division they must be a Patrol Officer for a certain amount of years. It is important that one knows exactly what they are getting themselves into when pursuing a career as dangerous as Law Enforcement.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview? Why?
• The person who I plan to interview is my mentor, Officer Rodriguez. The reason being would be the experience he's had while being in patrol as well as being part of the rigorous SWAT Tactics Force team. Like I've stated in my previous blog, Officer Rodriguez has been exposed to all sorts of call for service which makes him the best person to be interviewed.
2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask. What additional questions do you plan to ask? Ask open-ended questions.
• How did you prepare yourself for this type of career?
• What are somethings that has helped you the most while being on patrol?
• Why did you choose to follow this pathway as your career?