Theodore D's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Law and Order: How do Police Departments Function?
BASIS Advisor: Brent Weaver
Internship Location: Prescott and Prescott Valley Police Departments
Onsite Mentor: Officers Jodi Mullins/Shean Hilton, Background Investigations Supervisor/Lead Police Officer



Project Abstract

Despite being responsible for our safety, the inner workings of the police are not well known by the general public. Most only see police work from an outside perspective, such as getting a ticket or securing various events. Police media, especially police procedural television shows (Law and Order, CSI), has sought to entertain by filling in this gap of knowledge through presenting how its characters go about their work behind-the-scenes. But are these depictions accurate? I have interned at the Prescott and Prescott Valley precincts in order to answer this question. I have gotten a first-hand look at what police officers do on a daily basis and assisted them with these tasks. I have also compared my internship experience to how internal police work is portrayed in police shows such as Hill Street Blues and the aforementioned Law and Order, both through my experience and a survey I gave to officers at these precincts. The goal for my final product was to serve as a resource for anyone to see how police departments actually work. This project also served another purpose, to see if law enforcement is a future career that I would pursue.

    My Posts:

  • Week 9: Just One More Question

    Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Today's post is going to be a bit shorter than my previous ones, since next week is when my project will be going through some major developments. But enough about next week, let's talk about this week! First is, as always, Prescott Valley Police Department. This was... Read More

  • Week 8: On the Road Again

    Hello Everyone! This past week has been a bit more eventful than usual for my Senior Project, having both a ride-along, as well as more survey responses! I am really excited to tell you all about it, so let's begin! First, at Prescott Valley Police Department, I had my second ride-along! This was with a... Read More

  • Week 7: I Would Like to Ask a Few Questions

    Hello everyone! This week was another slow one, but has also seen my survey progressing at a great pace! First, Prescott Valley Police Department. This week, I was tasked by Community Services to do research in improving their outreach, whether through events or programs, to youths in Prescott Valley. This mainly took the form of... Read More

  • Week 6: A Breakthrough in Reasoning

    Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great Spring Break! This week, as well as part of last week, was spent doing much of the same as I have said before. However, I have reached a breakthrough regarding my research that has made the goal of my project much more clear, and that I am... Read More

  • Week 5: The Investigation Continues

    Hello everyone! In terms of what I've done this week, I am sorry to say that it was not totally groundbreaking. However, I have been able to observe and note down some differences between the two departments, as well as how departments are presented on television, that I am excited to present to you all!... Read More

  • Week 4: Another Day at the Office

    Hello everyone! This week at the police departments was much of the same, which may come as a bit of a disappointment to you. But, I still learned some things that I found very interesting, and that I am excited to share to you all! First, this week at Prescott Valley was spent with me... Read More

  • Week 3: Community Watch

    Hello everyone! Admittedly, this week was a bit slower compared to the first two. However, I still got to see quite a bit, and I would be happy to talk to you all about it! This week at Prescott Valley Police Department, I worked a bit with the Department's Community Services unit. These are a... Read More

  • Week 2: In the Field

    Hello again everyone! This week at Prescott Valley Police Department, I was able to go on a Ride Along with one of the patrol officers on Tuesday. It was quite interesting to be able to participate in a part of police life that many of us only see on the outside! Fortunately for the officer... Read More

  • Week 1: Setting Up

    Hello everyone! This past week, I started my internships at Prescott and Prescott Valley Police Departments, which I will describe below! I decided to start my internships before my show research just so that I can get the real internal police department experience first, before seeing how it is portrayed on television. My first internship... Read More

  • Law and Order: How do Police Departments Function?

    Law and Order: How do Police Departments Function? The Introduction Hello, my name is Theo. For a great deal of my life, I have been fascinated with Criminal Justice, specifically law enforcement. In fact, it is my dream career to go into law enforcement, either locally or nationally with the FBI. The roots of this... Read More