Blog 11 - Lesson 1 Reflection

There is more to a Law Enforcement Officer than a Badge and a Gun. 

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
• What I am most proud of in my lesson is that I was able to talk about something that I am very passionate about. I was given the chance to inform an audience how Law Enforcement Officers feel when going on duty and the possible ways they would respond to a certain call for service if they were the first one who arrived at the scene of the crime. I enjoy the field of Law Enforcement due to the need of helping other who can't help themselves and trying to reduce the amount of crimes that occur in a year within a city. 
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
• I would give myself a P because I believe that I presented the information that I gathered from research in a good manner. Basing my grade from the contract I completed everything that is required to do for a "P consideration". I was loud enough for everybody to hear me, I kept constant eye contact with my audience and I kept my audience engaged. I cited two published sources during my presentation as well as the Explorers program which is a stepping stone to getting my mentor, first hand experience, and training. So, overall I did achieve the requirements to receive a grade of a P. 
3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson? How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2? 
• If I could go back and redo my lesson 1 I would change the way I presented the information. I would choose a different flow so that my presentation is much more exciting to my audience. I would also talk a bit faster so that I can talk about more things that I did not get the chance to talk about. For lesson 2 because it is much longer I plan to go in greater depth about my Senior Project, Law Enforcement. I will also wear a different uniform with the permission of my Post Adviser. I was given a taste on how to present the knowledge that I have learned, I can better prepare myself for longer presentations and know what to expect when giving one about my Senior Project. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

Some Officers who take time out of their free time to train us, the explorers, and prepare us for whatever we may encounter in the near future. 

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (is it at a workplace of somewhere else?) Are you shadowing? Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic? If so, what? Are there other people who are experts in the location? 
• My mentorship consists of ride alongs which is being in patrol for 10 or 12 hours a day. There are several tasks that my mentor allows me to do while on patrol. Some tasks are as follows; talking on the radio, communicating with dispatch, using the MDT, checking individuals criminal history, filling out field interview cards, writing short and brief reports on some calls for service, talking to individuals, translating Spanish to English, and interact with other officers when our help is needed. 
• What I do can be consider shadowing my mentor which is following him. Everywhere he goes I go and whatever he tells me to do I do it right away. The several tasks that I do relate to my Senior Project because that is what a Law Enforcement Officer has to do when out in the field. 
• There are other people who can be considered experts in this field. Most officers who have 5+ years can be said to be experts in the field but they are always improving themselves unlike Officer who have been working for 30+ years. The many Officers that i have encountered by far would be considered experts because they do have many years working as an officer. Some officers have even worked in different departments therefore, they know the different perspectives of one agency to another.  
2. How did you find your mentor? How did you convince this person to help you?
• I am an Explorer for the Pomona Police Explorers Program Post 160. I currently hold the ranking position of Sergeant. I've been in the program for about 3 years and ever since i graduated form the Explorer Academy I have been going on ride alongs with various officers. The way i encountered my current mentor is by going on ride alongs with him. He is an Explorer Adviser and one of the many officers that i have had the pleasure of working with during my ride alongs. 
• I was one of the many explorers who rode with Officer Rodriguez and every time I would ride with him I would talk to him about my upcoming Senior Project that I have to do. I would also ask him if he would be willing to be my mentor. Officer Rodriguez agreed to be my mentor so I've had a set mentor months before Senior Year began. 
3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship? How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at a mentorship/with this person?
• At this point of the relationship my comfort level with my mentor would be a 10 on a scale of 0-10. I've gone on many ride alongs that I've lost count. What also helped me be more comfortable with my mentor is that he is an Adviser in the Explorer's Program as well as being a Former Explorer. Being comfortable with my mentor is very important because i don't hold back on asking questions after questions. I also get to have normal conversations instead of being quiet the whole time. 
4. What went well in this interview? Why do you think so? What do you still need to improve? How do you know? How will you go about it? 
• In my opinion what went well in the interview was the way he answered my questions which was with honesty and straight to the point. Honesty is a great factor when it comes to this type of career because if you lie one way or another somebody is going to find out and consequences will be made. Being straight to the point helped me because i was able to understand his answer instead of listening to like 5 minutes so one question can be answered. I think i need to improve on asking follow up questions because when he would finish answering I would move on to the next question. I can also improve on making better questions where he would have to think much harder about the answer and they manner he should answer the question. Asking better questions will lead to gaining better knowledge or having better and interesting discussions. 

Please start at 4:06 minutes 

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

There will be a change in the public's eye when the truth behind everything is revealed.

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc.)
• I currently do have a mentor and I am in the process of getting more. I would be having more mentors who specialize in something specific such as gang, narcotics, gangs, etc. I have not completed my interview but I do have a scheduled appointment with my mentor. My appointment is on Sunday and besides the interview I will be going on patrol so I'll be receiving mentorship hours. 
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies towards more specific areas within your topic. Name the area or two you find most promising explain your reasons.  
• So far, my research has been guiding me into what it is like to be a Police Officer and be working out in the streets. There is so much action that has happened in the past few years that places officers in a stressful situation. My research seems as if it is guiding me towards the specifics of the different units within a department as well as the "life" of a police officer when being on patrol or under a stressful situation. 
• Going into greater depth about the different units an officer can specialize in seem promising because in the Department I can get many mentors who specialize in something as specific as being a Gang Officer, Detective, Undercover, etc. Some articles that I have read state the different training an Officer undergoes in order to become an expert at the specialized unit they wished to be in. My research has given me the Psychological perspective of why an Officer would make such choices in various scenarios where they are put to the test and they feel under pressure. 
• When being on patrol an Officer will carry themselves in a different manner than being in civilian attire and not working. Officers demonstrate leadership skills, command presence and other traits. It can be concluded that officer do behave differently when the uniform is worn. They are also treated differently due to the authority they have as well as the gun and badge which shows who has power and who does not. My research has shown me the "life' of an officer when being on patrol or when working under pressure. The public has their own opinion about the way Officers do their job but they don't have a clear picture of what actually happens. The public tends to see the worse in every situation which is often referred to as tunnel vision. 
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth? Where will you go to get them?
• Like I have stated before, I am in the process of receiving more mentors who will guide me through my Senior Project about the specifics units within the Department. They are Officers who have 10+ years working in the department which makes them experts at what they do. Besides getting more mentors I can do more in depth research by using the internet and library where i can find books that will help me with my Senior Project. 
4. Write down a possible EQ. Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers. At this point, the senior team is not interested in understanding your thought process. 
• When an officer is on duty and doing their duties. How do they determine how to handle a call for service and what paperwork must be done for the call for service?

Blog 8 - Independent Component 1 Proposal

Leadership is not given it is learned!

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
• My plan for my independent component is to create a club with two of my peers who are, Jessica Jimenez-Aguilar and Isaiah Garcia. The club that we are planning to create will be titled “Leadership Club”. The purpose of the club is to get youngsters involved in the Military and Law Enforcement by learning and gaining hands on experience. It is a great way to work on developing leadership skills, bettering self-discipline, and building long lasting friendships. Because the club itself is Law Enforcement and Military based there will be physical training as well as short class lectures.
• Once the club is up and running there will be weekly meeting held on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. But if it seems too much for the students then plans can always change to accommodate our club members. We are planning to also have weekend meetings to physically train the students who join the club. During the weekday meetings, the plan is to go over basic information and several class lectures that will be fun and entertaining 
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
• Like I’ve stated in my previous question, we would meet at least once a week with the students who join the club. If the members of the club as well as the staff meets once time on a weekly basis for at least 1 hour and have side trainings on the weekend then that would give us 30 hours. The way we would show the evidence would be by completing “Minute Forms” provided by ASB.
• If more evidence is needed then pictures would be taken and gathered so at the very end a scrapbook can be made and kept as a memory of an accomplishment that was made.  
3. Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
• The club itself is to make strong leaders for the future of America. Law Enforcement and Military go along the lines of the great amount of work effort, dedication and motivation one must put into it. Creating the club will help me explore my topic in depth due to the greater amounts of research I’d have to put in and teach other students who are interested in Law Enforcement. In the Law Enforcement field one must be able to show command presence and be able to work under stress. Many people don’t understand how Law Enforcement works and voicing my opinion and showing some research would help them understand what Law Enforcement really is about and several tasks Officers undergo.
• The several lectures that I plan to give the members of the club would go in much greater depth and will benefit me in completing my senior project. It may be possible that ideas can be given during lecture time.

  

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Law Enforcement Officers put their lives on the line for others to live.

The purpose of the second interview is to justify your mentor as an expert in the field. You will be asking them at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work? If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?
• My mentor is Adrian Rodriguez and he works in the Pomona Police Department. He's been a Police Officer since 2008 and has encountered several life or death situations while being on patrol. The Pomona Police Department stands out from other surrounding agencies for the reason being that the city of Pomona is known for the high crime rates that occur on a daily basis.
2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?
• Why did you pursue a Law Enforcement career?
• What are something's that have helped you in becoming successful?
• Do you feel like you've made a difference in peoples' lives? If so, why? If not, why?
• How do you deal with calls for service on a daily basis?
• What can you tell me about yourself that has helped you throughout your career?

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.