Week 1

DAY 1

Today was my first day at the Madison Police Department Training Center where I have

been stationed this summer. I finally met the supervisor who I will be working under

for this summer, Sergeant Linda Covert. The Sergeants primary duties are to run the

facility by managing contracts between the Madison police department and other

departments all over Dane county. The Sergeant also creates course sessions that

officers may sign up for to learn skills to implement in their duties. Sergeant Covert

informed me of my duties in the facility. My duties are general care and assistance

around the building, in addition I have projects to complete to help Sergeant Covert.

One project I have been assigned for the summer is to plan two courses Sergeant

Covert has planned for the fall of 2016. Another project is to assist Sergeant Covert

with retrieving contracts from the some other departments in the county.

DAY 2

Today I was given some simple assignments to help take care of the office for

about half of the day. The second half of the day I posed as a driver in a vehicle to test

prospective instructors on three different forms of traffic stops. The first time the

subject pull me over and approach the vehicle. The second the subject would call me

out of the vehicle. The third and final stop the subject would pull me over as a

dangerous subject.
DAY 3

Today I was sent to the Madison North District under the care of Office Franco.

Officer Franco is stationed at Madison East High School. On my ride along with

Officer Franco I saw much of the daily occurrences in the Madison public school

system. Though the day had been very quiet as Officer Franco noted to me. However,

the typical duties far exceeded my preconceived notions of the role of a school officer.

Firstly, Officer Franco seemed to take more of the role of a counselor than a law

enforcer. Secondly, Officer Franco assisted many students with the legal system even

helping to schedule rides for the students who needed to go to court on certain days

and giving legal advice to students.

Day 4

Today was spent Sergeant Covert drafting a schedule for future ride along for

me and the other intern that was assigned to the training center. However, time was

also spent creating course for all of the interns on what many competitive departments

look of in prospective hires. This time was filled primarily with scheduling and some

actual strutting the course.

Week 2

Day 1

Today I was sent to the MPD criminal intake unit to observe the processing of and

initiation of criminal complaints. The supervisor I was placed under for this
assignment was Detective Acker. Detective Acker was one of the members of the

criminal intake unit. Despite the uneventful day that consisted primarily of paper

work and procuring signatures from the district attorney, I learned a great deal about

the internal affairs and how law enforcement and the court system work together. One

development that occurred was the new regulation providing a bail hearing for

defendants on the next business day. The frustration the department had showed me

just how much simple changes like this actually can impact the criminal justice

system.

Day 2

Today I was assigned a new project. This project involves sorting paperwork. From

what I've gathered this I am checking to see if training applications have been put up

on to the police department's data base. Though a limited amount of checking this

data I was able to find multiple names that I recognized from previous cross trainings.

So despite my previous doubts on my ability to remember names and rank I think I

have made progress. I worked for about 6 hours on this project. Not anywhere close to

done but an employee whose paper work says I am getting a lot done.

Week 3

Day 1 June 7
Today I shadowed Officer Lindsey with the Madison Police department West District on

her patrol. During my day with Officer Lindsey I learned a lot about the duties of

police officers on the street and in the court room. Starting at 7:00 am we travelled

around Madison looking for activity. We were sent to a call regarding a mentally

handicapped man who felt unsafe. Officer Lindsey determined that it was a fit of

paranoia and not actual danger. She told the man to not call the police unless it was

an emergency. Next Lindsey had a duty at court and so we stopped at the DA. Upon

arrival I heard that she had to testify at a preliminary hearing in which a man was

being charged with child abuse and false imprisonment. However, it took about 3

hours until the judge could hear the case even though the hearing was scheduled for

9:00am when we had arrived. At 1:00 when we got out of court we ate lunch and then

responded to a call about a woman who sounded very confused along with a

paramedics. Officer Lindsey made some observation and initiated connect with the

woman who appeared to be in an altered state of consciousness. Officer after a few

questions asked if she was diabetic she responded that she was. That is when the

emergency medical personnel (EMPs) arrived on the scene and thanks to Officer

Lindsey's diagnostic work they were immediately able to begin treatment. Though this

was not an immediately life threatening emergency the quick response showed how

paramount it was for a police officer to have understanding of health emergencies.

After this we responded to a hit and run complaint and talked to a man whose vehicle

had been hit. Officer Lindsey walked the man through the process and asked him a

few questions and we were on our way.

Day 2

Today I was in the office once again working on my new project for my entire shift.

Despite this menial task I have realized that I do have the capacity to work long times

on paperwork without break. This was definitely a boost in confidence for me knowing

that I was at least able to do the work despite having ADD which I feared might impede

me.

Day 3

Today I was originally scheduled to cross train with the parking enforcement but they

never came to pick me up. So, one of the Sergeants enrolled my assistance to help set

up and run the test that were being conducted in the firing range that day this was

very interesting. One of the other Sergeants showed me the technique that police use

to discharge their side arms. Then he allowed me to practice with him for 30 or so

minutes. Then during the tests I helped a lot of people set up their magazine to the

appropriate levels since each magazine needed exactly 25 rounds and typically

officered had around 30. After the tests were conducted they conducted the "less

lethal" test were they use a shotgun with bean bag rounds to practice incapacitating

uncooperative suspects. This was interesting to see how much had been invested into

creating alternatives to deadly force.

Day 4

Today I sat in with the dispatch for the greater Madison area. This was extremely

interesting because I was able to get a glimpse of how the behind the scenes

coordinating occurs. Firstly, is sat in and listened to calls with a couple people and

many people were not calling to report crimes but usually to ascertain information out

the department. However, the call taker was not simply allowed to tell them to call the

non-emergency line. Next I moved to dispatch where a gentleman walked me through

his method of dispatch. One thing he told me is that he finds people aboard closest

and gives them more serious situations first. He also told me how he gives officers one

hour Windows at the end of the shift where he does not make them the primary

respondent so they can be done by the end of their shift.

Week 4

Day 1

Today I finished my first project. I pushed through a lot of work which amazed

Crystal, one of the workers who had requested my supervisor to let me help her with

her task. I think I made a good impression with her by my work ethic but Im dead I

find it very difficult to pay attention for that long with paper work. I was both

impressed but I realize I dont think I have the constitution to continue my vigilance for

much longer. A few more days and I would be hard pressed to maintain concentration.

So Im glad I have a ride along days coming up.

Day 2
 Today I had the pleasure of taking part in a training for a SWAT/EMS

simulation seminar. I was somewhat caught off guard by how vulgar the members of

the SWAT team could be at least on my ride to and from the facility. However, I believe

I successfully hid my discomfort with the situation and handled everything very

professionally though I might have came off as a little reserved. So my primary duties

at the training was to set up and be an actor for the scenarios, however during the

first part of the drills I was able to do the training along with the SWAT team. First, we

went through how to pack a wound to treat a puncture would on a bony area. Second,

we learned how to properly insert a chest stabilizing needle to treat a decompressed

lung. Thirdly, we practiced applying a tourniquet to our legs and arms. The second

half of the day I was an actor in the scenarios the first scenario was a mass shooting.

For this scenario I played a severely injured victim with an arm wound and in shock so

I was given a realistic arm sleeve with wound and canister of fake blood. The first time

through the SWAT personnel forgot to tourniquet my arm and so when the left me in

the safe area the instructors had me lay down and let the wound pump out the fake

blood to replicate me bleeding out it was a good learning situation for the Trainees.

However, they didnt have to explain to my mother why I had fake blood all over me.

The scenarios taught me a lot about the real and constant danger that members of

responding personnel are under in mass shooting situations.

Day 3
 Today I worked with parking enforcement. To be honest a job I thought was

going to be very boring. Ill admit it certainly was not glamorous but it did have an

appeal and deserved respect. In Madison the parking enforcement personnel are not

sworn officers rather they are one of the civilian branches of the department. On my

ride along I learned that parking enforcement officers are not out to get people. Rather,

they treat everyone with understanding a compassion. When we were writing tickets if

a person approached us saying and pleaded with us respectfully the parking

enforcement officer would almost always throw away the ticket because the city of

Madison allows them to enforce any ticket they want to (besides when on private

property because then it is up to the owners discretion). Instead of just saying well

you shouldnt have parked there and leaving the officer would explain to the person

why the violation was a hazard and just give them a warning. This may have just been

that specific officers style but from what he told me that is very common in the unit.

However, one discouraging item of knowledge I learned was that despite the unit

helping out the police officers so they didnt have to do that job police officers often

discredited the work done by the unit. This saddened me because for a department

that holds human dignity as a core value it did not seem that it was entirely consistent

in how the officers treated those they deemed below them. However, I dont mean to

say that the rank system is wrong, rather that all officers should see each other and

the civilians as integral parts of society. But I guess thats not an issue with the

department as much as it is an issue with our social structure and human

weaknesses.
Day 4

Today I met with Detective Rahn to acquire decommissioned items for use in the

display case at the training center. I was given 9 batons, a Chemical Mace canister, an

old tazer, and an old Sergeants log. The Sergeants log was the most exciting because

it showed all of the crimes recorded by the sergeant each day I even found one that

read telling fortunes without a license I dont know whether that was a real crime

but it sure did get a chuckle from anyone I could find in the building who wasnt busy.

Noah TeDuits
6-20-16

Week 5

Day 1-2

I was sick on Monday and Tuesday but I managed to do a little research on the batons

while I had enough energy from home.

Day 3

Today I still dont feel great but I agreed to shadow a member of the court

services team so despite that I went to work thankfully the malaise no longer gripped

my mind so hard. The first few hours I spent going through the process of checking

people into court which I learned very slowly with a few lapses. Mainly, I failed to

speak up when I didnt know what to ask which sometimes lead to confusion and was

corrected by my host. It was a very humbling experience trying being so slow to pick

up the pace but eventually I figured it out. The rest of the day I sat in while the judge

spoke to defendants one on one. This really surprised me with how informal it all was

because I guess my previous experience with the court system while interning under a

defense attorney had only shown me the more formal cases. Im glad that the system

is not putting the same amount of resources toward Joe Shmoes speeding ticket as it

is with murder cases.

Day 4
 Today I further researched the use of batons in law enforcement which I might

say is quite extensive. I found out that three of the small club weapons were actually

called slap jacks and black jack. These weapons are illegal to be used by law

enforcement because of the massive trauma they could create despite their

inconspicuous appearance. A single blow from one of these spring loaded bludgeon if

landed on the head could knock fully grown men unconscious and even kill them from

severe brain hemorrhaging. This showed to me just how law enforcement in America

has changed through the past decades. From more lethal and less defensive weaponry

to less lethal more defensive weapons such as modern batons which can be used to

block and disarm suspects without the possibility of killing someone.

Week 6

Day 1

Today I returned from my vacation and presented my idea for the case to my

supervisor. I suggested that this years theme be the development of law enforcement.

This design entailed the left side showing the items from the past and items on the

right displaying the modern equivalent. Sergeant Covert then tasked me with

requesting an order for display items that we would need to properly display the items

we had. This took the rest of my day but I found what I thought was a cheap and

suitable set of shelves, hooks and stands. Sergeant Covert seemed pleased with my

selection.

Day 2
 Today unexpectedly we received the items we had ordered the day before to my

delight. I was thus able to spend the rest of the day arranging and rearranging the

items into a display that I was comfortable showing to Sergeant Covert. She seemed

very pleased with the results and complemented me on my work. Which felt wonderful

since there isnt too much feedback in my position.

Week 7

Day 1

Today I finally got to do a ride along with a member of the Canine unit Officer

Corcoran and the cadaver/tracking dog Slim. The ride along was dead quiet our only
call was to a house where a confused woman had lost her purse and thought it had

been stolen and had called it in as burglary. However, my discussion with Officer

Corcoran in regards to her job was very fruitful. Firstly, it was very important to say

that the dogs on the Madison Police team are not the average police dogs. They are not

trained to view things as life and death situations but rather just to see everything as

a game. At first I was skeptical of this kind of training because in my over confident

head I had it as the notion that a dog in the mindset of being on duty would be able to

react faster and more effectively in a dangerous situation. However, in our discussion I

learned that this was not the case and not only that but in many ways it was

preferable to have the dog not in that mind set. Firstly, a dog is less likely to

unnecessarily injure someone if they are not constantly on guard and will only do

what it is trained to do. Secondly, in non-life threatening situations the dog is able to

focus fully on the task of tracking. Thirdly, in its home life dogs without the on guard

mentality do not have episodes of aggression or fear that other dogs may be liable for.

It really opened my eyes to how its important to look at the whole issue.

Day 2

Today I took part in another training but today was dedicated to policing from a

bicycle. I didnt even know that it was a thing. However, I dont own a bicycle so I was

not able to fully take part though I did help set up the training. I learned that there

are a few advantages to bicycle policing. Firstly, it is not as threatening to ride up to a

situation on a bicycle as it is the pull up in a flashing car and as a result insights less
aggressive behavior from police contacts as well it can open the doors to creating

relationships with the community for police officers. Secondly, there is a tactical

advantage as no one suspects to look out for bicyclists when committing criminal acts.

The rest of the day we learned how to preforms emergency maneuvers. Such as

hopping curves and power stopping. The trainees also went through obstacles courses

to practice these skills. Finally, the trainees were taught how to properly dismount and

use the bicycle as a barrier and even a weapon if necessary that was something I

never thought was a thing.

Day 3

Today I was originally going to be riding along with a detective in the Forensic

Unit but due to a communication error it fell through. However, I still made progress

on my project or at least I thought I had until it came to my attention that the police

captain thought at in light of the recent police violence in Madison that all the batons

should be removed. The situation that had happened was two officers arrested a

woman who had threatened a woman at the mall with a knife which resulted in

allegations that it was a case of police brutality. So unfortunately my work today had

been for naught. I was very disappointed though I think I didnt let that show.

Day 4

Today I rode along with Officer Naylor an officer in the Mental Health Unit. Not

30 minutes after briefing did we got a call from an officer that they had just detained a

man that had struck a woman who was running by that they assumed had a
psychological impairment. So Officer Naylor requested that the man be brought in to

be analyzed before being sent to the treatment facility in Greenbay. The analysis was

basically an interview. The man at first seemed normal but after a while his

impairment began to be visible he was extremely paranoid believing that there was a

plot from the Vatican to have him killed. He was agitated that his name was now the

name of a bank (it wasnt) because that would tell him imagined assailants would be

able to find him. He then told us that he struck the woman because he was getting

angry because he was in danger and then he was afraid that he might hurt somebody

and so he hit a random runner so that they would arrest him and put him in jail so he

couldnt hurt anymore people. This was eye opening because I have never encountered

a person with such a disorder. It even more frightening that until we talked to the man

about what happened and really pried for more information it would have been

impossible to known that he had this disorder. Afterward Officer Naylor told me that it

was likely schizophrenia. Officer Naylor then told me that there are hundreds of people

like that man all over Madison and that is often seen as rowdy behavior and not the

disorder it is. The fact that Madison even has a unit dedicated to this group of people

shows just how much it is willing to serve all its members.

Week 8
 Today was the long anticipated and planned intern application training day

though my partner intern spearheaded the project. It started in the morning with

what the police department of Madison looks for in a candidate and the application

process in general. The things I was told was the most important was Why Madison?

Why you? this involved being able to say how the core values of the department are

important in the world of policing and how they manifest themselves in an applicants

lives. The second thing they stressed was service because they want officers who want

to serve not just protect. One struggle I had was finding how the core value of

diversity applied to me being a middle class white male. Not really breaking the mold

with any of those. However, I stressed how I see diversity as an important feature in

society and how I believe it should be fostered. The day concluded with a mock fitness

test which I must say Im not the fastest or strongest but I passed every test well above

the requirements.

Day 2

Today I was given another assignment by my supervisor. This time I was told to

go through the last few years with of training surveys and compile documents that

were aimed at helping Sergeant Covert quickly assess whether the course was worth

repeating. I must say after putting 8 hours into this project so far I must admit that its

unfamiliarity with the program that is halting my progress but I know Ill get the hang

of it. It is interesting to read through the comments that people write about a course

however a vast majority of the surveys thus far were positive.

 Day 3

Today I road along with Officer Lindsey again but this time we were

tabling at a childrens golf event at Hahaha Hills Golf Course. Our job was to man the

safety table and distribute hole punches that would allow the kids to enter a raffle if

the kid came to us and asked us about safety. For the kids we handed out sunscreen

because the day was especially sunny. We also had pamphlets for the parents about

talking to kids about everything from internet safety, to weapon safety. At the

beginning I really doubted my abilities to talk to people that I never met before but

upon bucking up and resolving myself to improve and not be afraid of looking stupid

I really came into my own. By the end of middle of the shift I was so efficient that the

two police officers with me decided that I could handle it by myself and wondered

around to talk to people out of the tent we were stationed in. Overall I think I really did

well with my communication skills. I even came up with a dumb joke about how if the

kids didnt wear sun scene we would catch them red handed. It really boosted my self

esteem to see that I could preforms well with social contact with strangers which is an

essential aspect of police work.

Day 4

Today I road along with Detective Burgette Bach from the Forensic Unit. We

started our day filling up with supplies before going to the lab to test finger prints. The

myriad of different supplies told me what we were going to do was very complicated.

Upon returning to the lab I found that all the supplies we gathered were going to be
used for blood splatter tests but sadly I did not get to take part in the test. Instead we

tried to find fingerprints on an envelope that was derived from the suspect of a bank

robbery. We let it soak in a chemical for a while and the dried it to make any prints

appear many did we the made casting of the print and uploaded them to the database.

It was very tedious but the walk through of the program done by Investigator Burgette

Bach really showed me the ins and outs of analyzing finger prints.

Week 9

Day 1

Today I continued my work on the survey project despite a grueling 9 hours I

still feel like Im hardly making a dent. I assume I just need to find a rhythm.

Day 2

Today I road along with investigator Burgette Bach again however today we went

to the secret storage for all the cars involved in criminal activities be it stolen, burnt,

involved with drugs, or involved in a robbery or murder. Apparently there have been

many cars stolen recently in one day 14 cars were stolen 9 so far have been recovered.

So today we spent the whole time looking for finger prints of the subjects. It was too

dang hot and required a lot of moving around but I pulled through it. We completely

dust five cars inside and out. There is a lot of technique, if you dust too much it covers
the print and ruins it and if you dust too little it you cant see the print. So we started

on a cleared vehicle to train and after the investigator was confident in my ability she

allowed me to move to helping her on the vehicles in question. We lifted a lot of prints

which the investigator was excited because she anticipated that they wouldnt find

many on those cars.

Day 3

Today I helped run the training for the cooperation between the Mounted Patrol

and Canine Units. This training was awesome. First, we watched the dogs and horses

walk next to each other to have them get acquainted with one another because the

horse can scare the dogs making them less effective and the horses can get spooked if

not introduced to dogs. Then we moved on to laying trails for the dogs to follow with

the mounted officers searching. When the dog found the track layer the layer

presented the dog with a toy. This reinforced the dog to treat these situations as a

game and just have fun. This took a few hours since there were many dogs and tracks

to get through. Then we saw a demonstration of a canine performing a bite and we

were allowed to put the sleeve on a get bit. I chose to take part it was actually

surprisingly gentle mainly due to the presence of a large padded bite sleeve. Then I

agreed to go help clean the event area where a fundraiser was happening for the

mounted unit. I mowed a lawn and weeded to make the place look nicer. One of chiefs

came up afterwards and thanked us and told us how much our work helped. I think it
definitely helped with getting noticed which I feel like sitting out at the training center

is difficult to do.

Day 4

Today I road along with Officer Wilson a member of the crime prevention unit.

We went to the big brothers and sisters building and gave a talk to the workers. It was

very interesting. It was all about being aware of oddities in social cues and appropriate

responses. He talked about how the response needs to be reasonable and real. For

instance you cant fake being a bad ass if you are actually terrified you should try

something that is you. Then we went into general tips. For one if you think someone is

following you walk into the middle of the street to draw attention to yourself effectively

making the person know that if he wants to pursue hell be noticed. The general rule

he said is if you make someone require to make their intent in public they will be too

conscience of social judgment they will likely back off. This was clearly a direct

connection to social control theory.

Week 10

Day1

Today I had a ride along with Officer Thiesenhusen. This was just a general

patrol ride along. It was very slow for the first half but we had great discussions about

the struggles of being a police officer especially community police officers. Namely the
continued caring for people and the pain you see happen. We had a moment where we

talked about when a baby had died and how it tore her up. She initiated the topic. I

saw the heart break in her eyes and I really questioned whether I could do it. I resolved

to be the man who would bear that pain for the sake of another. But the end of the

shift lifts both our spirits. A drunk had wandered into one of the parks and was

spewing profanities. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen he was harmless and

just making a fool of himself we sat with him till the park ranger arrived to issue a ban

from the park. However, he insisted that I was the park ranger and that if I just

hurried up we could all go home even though the other officers continually corrected

him. I barely managed to hold back my laughing because I knew it would be

inappropriate to laugh but all the officers were smirking at me.

Day 2

Today I made a lot of head way on my survey project. I could have not been

there and nobody would have noticed because I was just working away in my little

working office all day but I got about a third of the surveys analyzed and filed. It was

great to finish the week know that the end was in sight.

Week 11

Day 1

I continued my project today making less head way today but none the less I

believe I only need one more day to complete it.

Day 2

Today I got to assist in training rifles instructors. It started off in the class room

learning about how to properly teach and then we moved to the range. The interns

were able to talk to each other while the trainees went through a practice round. Then

our real work began. By work I mean we got to shoot rifles for the rest of the day. The

trainees would try and teach us how to properly use a rifle from standing, kneeling,

sitting, and prone. It was awesome. I was with an officer named Ben from the Deforest

police. He gave me really great tips on firing a rifle. I have never shot a rifle before but I

Ben said I had a nearly perfect spread of shots in each position. We finished the day
off with a contest and I shot a perfect score and my team won really proud of myself

but I have to remember not to get a big head.

Day 3

Today got even better because I finally finished my survey project. I then spent the

rest of the day looking to help around the office. I did not find much but since I had

been flying under the radar so much with my project I decided I should get some more

face time with the other people. Plus I got to stretch my legs.

Day 4

Today I researched the use of mace canisters and riot gear. The riot gear

specifically peak my interest and I was able to find out a multitude of interesting facts

namely that the gear is often not ballistic preventative that it is actually designed to

protect against improvised weapons. This flexible shell on top of the padding allowed

the armor to absorb impacts and properly disperse the force. It was very interesting

but research is especially a welcome change to reading surveys.