Criminology

With the field of expertise that has been my lifes goal, I had been benefited with the opportunity to witness firsthand, not only the intricacies and complexities, but also the privileges that are inherent with the profession that I aspire to endeavor in the near future.  It has been a rich and rewarding experience that caused to strengthen my resolve on what I truly wanted to become.  Perhaps more importantly, my internship opened my awareness on the reality that peace and order is not exclusively the responsibility of Police Departments that we, as individual citizens of our society, possesses of the inherent obligation and duty in the preservation and protection of peace, in our quest to make our communities a safe place to live.

Generally, police internships are composed of observation and actual field work, understandably with more emphasis given on observation for the safety of both the police officer assigned to supervise the intern, and the intern himself.  Initial agendas include the mandatory introduction of departmental sections, from the Records and Training Section, and the Communications Department.  Here, the intern is made aware of the technical complexities that assure the reliable flow of communications, which is one of the most important necessities in an efficient police work, especially in assuring that roving patrols are consistently situated in strategic places, and has immediate reinforcements if situations would require for these.  On the other hand, the Training Section assures that each police officer maintains his optimal levels of competitiveness, particularly in using his service firearm, as the need to employ such measures are always present in their lines of duty.  Likewise, during this initial phase of the internship, the intern is introduced to the inner workings of the City Court, as this would eventually be one of the places that an officer would have to frequent in the course of performing his duties.

The activities in Police Internship are not limited to the precincts premises.  They include several community-based institutions where police influence, either as a guardian of the law or as counselors, is exerted for the betterment of the community.  This include the Drug Abuse Resistance Operation, or more commonly known as  D.A.R.E., where they educate children of school age on the importance of being able to resist the temptation of drugs, especially those stemming from peer pressure.  Another involves assistance programs for senior citizens, and direct participation in several neighborhood crime watch, whose main agenda is aimed at the safety of the most treasured establishments in our communityour homes.

Criminal Investigation
As the intern gets acquainted with the duties that are inherent in the profession of Police Officers, he then embarks on more challenging, more real-life dilemmas that are prevailing in our society he gets to be a firsthand witness in criminal investigation procedures.  However, contrary to popular perception, criminal investigation does not include among its concerns, the duties of a private detectiveinvestigator.  It is solely concerned with the investigations of suspected violations of certain laws in order to help prevent its future occurrences andor solve the crimes committed.

Of special personal interest on my internship were the investigations on crimes committed by juveniles.  Particularly, it was because of the apparent loss of opportunities that made my experience with these violators of law, a saddening experience.  In spite of their young years, they have already allowed their names to be permanently tarnished by crimes that would undoubtedly prove to be an immense disadvantage on their lives.

Included in Criminal Investigations trainings are the processes involved in case preparation of criminal cases and courtroom testimonies.  In the said procedures, I learned what makes a case stand against the gruesome legal debates that are common in courtrooms, and what technicalities are needed to ensure that the apprehended criminals will not escape the law simply because of insufficient preparation of evidences.

The last activity included in Criminal Investigations is the Surveillance Operations.  Because of the dangers that are inherent in this particular operation, we, as interns, were only permitted to participate in the more subtle variations of this type, such as those concerned with vices and the lesser transactions on narcotics.  Usually, as in my case, it involved observer roles in buy-bust operations that usually included only a minimal amount of illegal substance.                                      

Operations Division
In the course of my Police Internship, the most enjoyable of all the activities was the Patrol Operation, which falls under Operations Division.  Contrary to what is commonly perceived, this involves various procedures whose main goal is aimed at keeping the streets safe for the citizens of the community.  Most basic of these is traffic enforcement, where the main purpose is to minimize the occurrences of traffic bottlenecks through ensuring that all drivers are within the specified limits in vehicle speed, tonnage, and in several regulations such as in driving under the influence of alcohol.  This may be done by directly manning strategic locations where the possibilities of such traffic violations are higher, or by engaging in roving vehicle patrols to enhance police visibility and thereby discouraging such offenses.

Another method that is employed in Patrol Operation is the Motorcycle Unit.  Primarily, this is similar with the regular patrol vehicles, only, this unit is utilized either for faster deployments of police forces or as advance parties for dignitary convoys.  The obvious advantage with the Motorcycle Unit is its adaptability to different kinds or terrain, making pursuit operations, with the appropriate reinforcements, easier and safer tasks.

Perhaps what the general populace does not know is that the K-9 Unit falls under the responsibilities of Patrol Operations.  Here, dogs undergo an extensive training program that appropriately characterizes them according to their fortes.  Thus, they may be categorized as a public order enforcement dog, search and rescue dog, detection dog, as a cadaver dog, and even as a combination of two or more of these.  Each of these dogs, after finishing their training from a dully-recognized dog handler, usually a police officer himself, accompanies the police officers in field operations, according to their specialization and the emergency to be responded with.  

Lastly, my experiences with the Emergency Response Team, which is also a part of Operations Division, benefited me with the opportunity to witness firsthand the high level of specialization that is needed in performing the duties tasked on the police force.  Typically, every member of this team is highly trained in various specializations such as in lost person searches, hostage rescue operations, civil disobedience, crowd management, in providing specialized security arrangements, and in other situations that require a higher level of a trained police force.  One of the distinct characteristics of this team is their constant readiness to be deployed in the fastest possible notice, with the appropriate competitiveness that is higher than that of a regular police team.  Hence, to be properly equipped with the necessary skills needed in being a member of the Emergency Response Team, a police officer needs to undergo additional trainings that are especially aimed for this purpose alone.

Conclusion
The opportunity to be a police intern benefited me with the firsthand knowledge of being able to learn the difference between my academic training and their practicality in real-life situations.  It has widened my views on the real magnitude of responsibilities that police officers inherently possess as they pursue to accomplish what they had vowed in their profession.  Likewise, I have learned that our common and ultimate aspiration to make our communities a much safer place should not be completely relied upon from the police force, as each of us has an inherent duty to contribute his share for the betterment of our society.