Blog 6: Second Interview Preparation

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?
My mentors name is Sgt. Saldecke, he works at the Walnut County Sheriff station. He's a Sgt. at this station as well as the advisor for the Deputy Explorer program which I am now involved in.

2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. Have you ever had any desire to work in the Detective Bureau?
2. What type of fingerprinting work do you do?
3. How did you get hired onto the department?
4. What did you do to prepare?
5. What do you know about becoming a detective?
6. How is that route different than being a Sgt. or Sheriff?

Blog 5: Mentorship Reflection

Mentorship Question:
Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship.
For my wild land firefighting mentor I met the firefighter through explorers. We are both explorers at the same post but he is a certified so he is the one who teaches us and I since knew he was working last season for the forestry service I asked if he would be doing it again this year, when he said he was I asked immediately. From the moment I joined explorers he was there to guide me along the way, help me study for our tests, and teach me everything there is to know. I would say a solid 80% of what I know, I learned is from him. He is an Eagle Scout and is extremely well-rounded so when I learn new things, he always reminds me that for every thing I learn there are ten new things to be taught.
Describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.
For criminal profiling I have contacted many psychiatric wards but have been turned down for mentorships because one of the basic requirements is to be 18 years old and I'm only 16. I interviewed a Military Police Officer and he gave me a contact(his cousin) who is a detective in West Covina; I've contacted him and am waiting anxiously for a response. I have also gone down to the local sheriff station and keep missing the sheriff in charge of mentorship. However, the sheriff working the front desk said he will be in tomorrow so my fingers are crossed.

Research Question:
What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?
Through the research I've done so far, the article I've found most helpful would have to be The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour: Theories from Past to Present written by Arista B. Dechant. The reason I found this article so helpful is because it shows 7 different theories and approaches to profiling criminals and the reasoning behind their actions. It lead me to a realization that this is not a black or white career as some law enforcement careers are, but it allows room for thinking and building something up as opposed to research and checking off a list. It spiked my interest and it makes me want to work harder and be a lot more thorough in my research. For this reason I think that this article has been the most important.