Summer Internship

This summer internship position allowed me to apply my education and gain beneficial field experience by closely working with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Crime Scene division. As an intern, I was assigned to shadow Christine Cain in order to learn about her daily duties as a crime scene technician and the standards she is expected to uphold. My core responsibilities included arriving promptly to assigned shifts, assisting CSI Cain process crime scenes, and returning to the office to gain a better understanding of how to properly package different types of evidence. While processing scenes I carried equipment, helped with the collection of evidence, and often recorded notes about the scenes attended. I feel that I learned quickly

I experienced two outstanding ride-alongs with Officer Boric in Independence division and Officer Wagner in North Tryon. Officer Boric was extremely insightful and open to teaching me about her knowledge and experiences in the field. I appreciated her genuine effort to expose me to various types of calls and to introduce me to other women officers in her division. I learned a lot about the academy, the benefits of a law enforcement career, and how officers respond to different types of calls. The ride-along with Officer Borric left me enthusiastic and open to exploring the potential of a career in law enforcement. Similar to my Independence ride-along, my experience with Officer Wagner was engaging and very enjoyable. Officer Wagner provided me with a very hands on experience by allowing me to speak on the radio, completing KBCops reports, and learning different self-defense strategies that officers are taught at the academy. Wagner was very outgoing and welcoming which made me feel comfortable to ask questions and truly benefit from the ride along. He attempted to expose me to different calls and additionally took me to the memorial of two CMPD officers that were shot in the line of duty. My conversations with the different officers I interacted with reflected the true quality of their knowledge of law enforcement and ultimately

I was able to learn about the duties of crime scene technicians as well as those of detectives and police officers. This experience has helped me realize I do not want to pursue a career just because I am good at a particular skill or class but rather a career that will challenge me to become better each day. When I began volunteering a year ago, I was attracted to CMPD because of the positive reputation that the department upholds and the strong sense of connectedness between employees. Upon the completion of my internship with the department, everything I believed was validated and I learned so much more than I expected. My views on CMPD employees transformed after learning about how thoroughly they are trained and how extensive their knowledge is in the field. My first week as an intern was the most memorable for me because I was thrown into multiple first time experiences that set the tone for the rest of my internship. I worked on a highly publicized Uber driver homicide case where I was first introduced to the duties of homicide detectives. I observed as they searched through the Uber vehicle and was shocked by all of the evidence the detectives and my supervisor located. I additionally attended the medical examiner for the first time with my supervisor and she fingerprinted the