http://www.denvergov.org

Denver Police Department

Intern

August 2020 • Denver, CO

What I liked

I loved going on ride alongs with different officers and seeing how they interacted with community members on a daily basis. The officers had a strong sense of brotherhood and belonging that they didn't seem to be those cold people in uniforms as many people depict them to be. I also loved working at properties and evidence. They store evidence from every single type of crime in Denver, and I got to see and work alongside talented officers, civilian workers, sergeants, and technicians. At one point, I got to tour the emergency dispatch center and my inner-kid was very excited to see that it looked exactly how I pictured it to be: very big, with a lot of people working at desks and navigating about 6 computer screens each, little light-poles that identified as either police, EMT, or firefighter dispatch, and a lot of calls. It was amazing.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have gotten more hands-on experience in the work that patrol officers and those at the properties bureau do, but I couldn't because I was just an intern and if I made a mistake, they could be held liable (which is perfectly understandable).

Advice

Police work is much more challenging and complicated than people and the media make it out to be. Be open-minded about police work, especially if you go on ride alongs. No two call are ever the same, and officers have to be very flexible about interacting with people as interactions can change very quickly in the blink of an eye. Sometimes the calls you accompany officers to can be dangerous and they actually are, and some sometimes the calls sound dangerous when in reality the caller may have exaggerated the situation. That's why it's important for officers to be very flexible.
Be the first to mark this as helpful