I am officially an intern! (Yay!)

Hey guys! It's Alex! So I'm really sorry, but I am just going to forewarn you that in this post I will have to be very nondescript. Anyway here it is:

My second day "on the job" I was introduced to a new case. I had heard about it on the news previously, so I knew what it was. My boss wanted me to scan the case files and then save them into dated folders on my computer. I worked fast, and so for a week I scanned many, many case files. Some may call that grunt work, but I was introduced to new and interesting cases, and I actually found it rather fascinating.

After I finished the scanning, my boss introduced me to a new computer program. I was to enter data into the program. I was excited because this was a program that crime analysts use daily. In fact, he enters cases into the program all the time. So, he went step by step explaining how the program works and how to enter the cases properly. I pretty much do this everyday now and I really do think it is interesting. I read different cases everyday and learn new things all the time.

Until next time...

My first days...

Hi. My name is Alexandra (Alex) Pappas and I am interning at the Scottsdale Police Department in the Crime Analyst Unit. I thought my first post should just be an introduction to what I do there and what my first days were like. While thinking about what I would write on here, I got a little worried because I can not share as much as I would like. A lot of what I do is confidential, but I will try to make sure I am as clear as possible when I describe what I do in nondescript terms. (Haha!) 

Before I got the internship, I had to take a polygraph test. The setup was pretty much like what you see in movies only not as scary. There wasn't a two sided mirror or a ton of people watching me; honestly I do not think I am interesting enough to garner that attention. Don't get me wrong, I was nervous and my hands were sweaty and those things they put on your fingers do feel really, really heavy in the moment. But, I actually thought the whole process was rather interesting. 

Anyway, my first day was June 21, 2011. The first day I went through the normal steps. I got a tour of the building. My boss showed me a little what he does and what I would be learning to do.  I ran errands and it was all surprisingly fun! I actually had a great day. It was really interesting learning what crime analysts do. And for those of you who don't know what they do; this is it. They find patterns and trends in crime. They make maps for police and detectives to show when and where the offender will be next. They also answer civilian reports about crime in their neighborhood. And even though, crime analysts do much more than just that, for now that is all I will share.