My internship with the Illinois State Police was a great opportunity and experience. My assignment was to District 15, which covers the Illinois Tollway (I-88, I-355, I-294, I-94 and I-90). More specifically, District 15 troopers patrol all 292 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in northern Illinois and the seven Oases.
I rode with different troopers in Zone 1 (I-88), Zone 5 (I-355) and Zone 2 (I-294). I shadowed the troopers’ every move and approached the vehicles with them. I helped them write tickets and warnings, search vehicles for various things and conduct field sobriety tests. I even assisted with field reports on crashes and DUIs. After some traffic stops, I also dispatched out our disposition to every trooper and the radio room.
During my internship, I experienced a lot more than I thought I would. I learned a lot of new statutes, as well as how troopers find violations, and how the radar and LIDAR work. I also attended the shooting range, training classes, court appearances, traffic accident reconstructions and truck inspections. I sat in communications for a day, listening to dispatch and the call takers, and seeing what is happening behind the scenes.
I worked each shift: mornings (7 a.m. – 3 p.m.), evenings (3 p.m. – 11 p.m.) and midnights (11 p.m. – 7 a.m.). Each shift is different regarding how the trooper works and violations the trooper is looking for. My favorite shift was evenings because really anything can happen — arrests, DUIs, traffic violations, crashes, etc. Each trooper I worked with has been a great help and answered all my questions. I learned something new from each trooper and observed how each trooper works differently.
To learn more about Olivet’s criminal justice program, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
