UPD Partners with Direction for Job Shadowing
This article originally appeared in The Dispatch, The University Police Department's newsletter.
Last December I was contacted by Jill West, manager at a local agency called Direction, whose mission is assisting individuals with disabilities in order to ensure an independent and productive future. She informed me that they have numerous young clients they wish to expose to certain career fields in order to create a constructive job shadowing experience. Being that she heard many positive things about the University Police Department, and was aware that we are one of only a few accredited police agencies in Northeastern Pennsylvania, she thought we would be a good organization to partner with. West and I had many conversations regarding creating opportunities for young high school and college-aged clients from her agency.
I thought visiting UPD would be great for Direction students because they would be exposed to the various functions of a Police Department but also be able to experience a college environment where so many students get their start in the law enforcement field. Chief Bergmann and Captain Cadugan also thought it was a good idea and gave the job shadowing
Over the past year, our department was able to host several students and give them a first-hand look at how we operate. Every student is accompanied by a staff member from the Direction agency and the job shadowing tour usually starts out in the Sergeants office with me getting to know the student and learning if they have a specific area of interest in law enforcement. We continue with a tour of the station including a description of our administrative positions and their functions, and introductions to officers on shift affording students the opportunity to ask questions about police work.
The tour also includes a ‘show and tell’ of department-issued equipment and our police vehicles, which is generally one of the highlights of the tour. The students also visit the Emergency Communications Center where a University dispatcher explains the numerous systems we use to keep our University community safe.
Continue reading in The Dispatch, here.
