Name: RJ Gagne
Hometown: Seekonk, MA
Major: Criminal Justice Management
Location: Dudley Police Department

While working with the Dudley Police Departments I was able to work with dispatchers on a daily basis answering phone calls to the department. I was able to talk with the officers over the radio if they needed any type of information from the data bases. I processed paperwork and got to ride with officers during their shifts on the road.

As an intern with Dudley Police I became familiar with the operations throughout the department. The Dudley Police Departments does a great job with handling the town and helping citizens. My criminal justice classes prepared for what I would encounter. The internship embedded this learning as I put it to practice, and will help me down the road with my career.

Name: Caitlyn Bernick
Hometown: Madison, CT
Major: Psychology/Minor: Criminal Justice
Internship: New Hope Inc.
Location: Attleboro, MA

My internship was at New Hope Inc. I was part of the domestic violence and abuse shelter. The shelter has many aspects. There are usually six residents living there, all who have been physically abused. The staff advocates job is to maintain a healthy, safe home along with help the residents take the next step to living on their own with a better future. What I did at the shelter was I ran groups to help the residents toward a better future. I answered hotline calls on the 24 hour hotline. I sat through casework and helped the staff with their day to day activities. While interning at New Hope I attended a batterers intervention program. This was a group of all the abusers. This was enlightening to see both side of the abusers and the ones being abused. Overall I learned many things while interning at the shelter. I learned the inside scoop of what goes on at a shelter for the victims that where abused and how they react to being abused. I am know a certified rape crisis counselor, a man-dative reporter, I am hotline certified, and learned many tactics to going about serious situations. Interning here was a great experience.

I did room checks with my supervisor today when all the residents were out for the day. Usually I just do them by myself but my supervisor had nothing else to do at the time so she helped me. We found in resident #6’s room (she has a 2 year old who stays in the room with her) an alcohol container opened on the floor. I found a Mentos gum container that smelt like marijuana, garbage on the floor along with dirty dippers, cigarette butts and ashes in a shoe box and along the window sill. There is to be no smoking inside the house at all. After room checks my supervisor called her supervisor and asked if we should ask her to leave right away. She said we can give her a few days to gather her things do to her child. My supervisor had to leave and asked me if I felt comfortable writing a letter to resident #6 asking her to leave. So I wrote a letter to the resident asking her to leave and told her why she had to leave.

Name: Ryan Hatfield
Hometown: Warwick, RI
Major: Criminal Justice Management
Location: Rhode Island State Police Wickford Barracks

Most of the experience that comes from doing an internship with a police department is a lot of observation due to the fact that you are simply not a police officer yet and the department must worry about your safety above everything else. So, because of legal responsibilities, it is better off to watch and learn how professionalism and experience allow police officers to make some of them most important decisions. However, there are a few responsibilities, such as organizing paperwork for court cases and being the right hand person to the police officer that it supervising you throughout the day.

During my internship I was fortunate enough to be a part of the annual SWAT training week where with no dangerous events going on I was allowed to be hands on with the tactical team and be in hostage negotiation training and worked with the K-9 squad while they were training finding contraband.

After taking most of my Criminal Justice courses at Nichols College it was awesome to see how I could use the information that I had learned in class and find a way to connect that with the real life situations every day with the State Police. I have learned way more than I expected while in this internship; whether it be from watching training exercises, court arraignments, homeland security operations, and most importantly learning through examples how to conduct myself in a law enforcement environment.

Name: Ryan Pacific
Hometown: Danbury, CT
Major: Criminal Justice Management
Location: Danbury Police Department

As an intern with the Danbury Police Department I have had the opportunity to be a part of one of the largest police departments in the state. Some of my primary responsibilities were: help file criminal reports, assist in the processing of evidence, and to Recording Data. I also had to deal with many different types of people, with respect, patience, and courtesy.

Being able to intern with the Danbury Police Department has made my interest to be a part of the criminal justice field that much stronger. Interning with the Danbury Police Department has opened my eyes to the Police world. I have seen and experienced things with the Police Department a person only gets to see on T.V. I worked inside the Crime Scene Unit and got to witness crimes such as Burglaries, Domestic Abuses, and even a Homicide.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity I have had with the Police Department. This internship has truly just intensified my passion for a career in law enforcement. The Danbury Police Department has helped me take the right steps forward to achieving my goals.

Name: Keith Bogan
Hometown: Bellingham, MA
Major: Criminal Justice Management
Location: Drug Enforcement Administration

My roles and responsibilities at the Drug Enforcement Administration located in Seattle, Washington are significant. As a Student Aide Volunteer Intern working inside of the Intelligence Division as an analyst, I had limited access to certain areas of the building and limited access to certain files: secret, top-secret, and confidential. However, I have access to Law Enforcement Sensitive, and DEA Sensitive material. Inside of the Intelligence Division, there is a secretary office assistant, two Diversion Analysts, six Intelligence Analysts, and one Group Supervisor that I could approach for assistance with the assigned work. The work that a student aide can do is basic; such as, building Excel spreadsheets to organize the Intelligence Analysts’ material. An example of this work is phone records from subscribers or TIII (wire taps) that are sent from phone companies because they got subpoenaed or court ordered from the Department of Justice and I organize the files to import into the programs for the DEA uses. Furthermore, I made a PowerPoint presentation for the U.S. Attorney General’s Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) DEA for a press conference regarding a case called “Project Deliverance.” Moreover, I am assigned tasks such as researching information regarding suspected criminals in databases and little tasks such as looking up directions to a United States Court House.

As a Student Aide Volunteer Intern with the Drug Enforcement Administration, I have strong knowledge about how the DEA operates. The DEA is one of the top ten government agencies to work for and now I know why. Everyone that I have networked with gave me helping advice, and encouraged me to graduate school and then apply to the DEA. The Nichols College Criminal Justice Management program prepared me well with the following classes: Crime, Justice, and Society; Criminal Law and Procedure; Security Investigation: Concepts, Principles, and Practices; Emergency Planning and Disaster Management; Advanced Issues in Criminal Justice Management. Each class gave the little piece of the puzzle, and I had to combine all the pieces inside DEA to get the Nichols College picture.