Altoona Police Department gives interns valuable experience

Thursday, March 9, 2017
Amanda Tyler | WEAU

"The opportunity to work here has pushed me further to be a police officer," McCann said.

McCann is one of two interns this semester who work alongside of Altoona police officers. Since the internship program started three years ago, the department has worked with five interns from UW-Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley Technical College.

"They are very beneficial to us," Lt. David Livingston explained.

Lt. Livingston says the interns shadow officers and also offer a new perspective to the department.

"They bring to the table the most recent educational aspects of law enforcement," he explained.

While he has picked up many skills from shadowing officers, McCann also got the chance recently to take part in training with officers and see first-hand what it's like to be tased. It was an experience McCann volunteered for, but likely won't be doing again.

"We thought it would be neat to experience what other people who aren't on the good side of the law gets to experience. It was rewarding and painful at the moment," he said.

The Altoona Police Department says it's happy to teach important lessons as it helps train the next generation.

This semesters interns have also helped the department form a community services officer manual as the department looks into the possibility of adding that position to its team.

Read more about this article »