How does leadership play a role in your internship? How do your co-workers or supervisor display leadership capabilities?
Leadership plays a major role in my internship. Being in law enforcement, following the chain of command is extremely important. Within my departments, the clear leadership is those of higher ranks that the lower ranks report too. The Captain oversees the sergeants and makes sure that they are performing their duties as well as provide any assistance they may need to properly perform their duties. The sergeants perform the same leadership duties in essence but have less individuals under their command.But even the lower level detectives must portray leadership in their duties. When working their cases they portray their leadership abilities through communicating with outside agencies such as the DA. They have to coordinate with suspects and witnesses to properly gather all the proper information to prosecute the case. Anyone within law enforcement is required to posses basic leadership skills to perform their duties properly.
Are you able to demonstrate any leadership skills?
I am able to show a small amount of leadership in the performance of my duties. When given an assignment, I sometimes have to work with others on completing the assignment. Communicating properly to others what I need from them and how they can help accomplish my assignment.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
The Importance of this department
Take a minute and ask yourself when you think of insurance fraud what do you think of? For most, I would believe most think of paperwork and just simply dishonest people just trying to make extra money without harming people.
Yes it is very common for people to simply destroy their own property or say their was more damage to their vehicle after an accident then there really was. These cases don't physically affect other individuals. Unfortunately their is also another side of insurance fraud that is committed by the worst type of people who have no regard for others. I will give an example of one case that is being worked by one of the detectives.
A basic summary of this case would be the suspect was driving his car down one of the major streets in Sacramento during rush hour with the intent of causing an accident. In order to accomplish this he would wait in stop-and-go traffic and cut into lanes when gaps appeared, an then slamming on his breaks unnecessarily in attempt to cause the car behind him to rear end him. After unsuccessfully attempting this maneuver on different cars, the suspect finally got a car to hit him. The car that hit him was an elderly couple in their 70s. The man was only in a minor accident in which minor damage was visible but did not leave his car and requested medical attention when others went to check on the accident. The elderly couple were luckily not harmed in the situation.
Luckily in this case, one of the individuals who failed to run into the back of the suspects car recognized what was going on and when he witnessed the accident he pulled over to check on the scene and give his statement to the responding officers. In this situation the responding officers do not have the proper evidence to give any citations or make any arrests. The suspect is free to go and file his insurance claim that he was hit and that the elderly couple was at fault. The insurance company of the elderly couple is the agency that sent us the case file to review. Case still pending
Now this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Staged accidents and involving innocent people in the ploy of collecting money through insurance fraud happens quite often. Imagine if the elderly couple had gotten hurt, then imagine it was your grandparents or your parents that were hurt. This is just one of the important reasons investigating and reporting insurance fraud is so important. Insurance fraud isn't just a financial issue to society but a criminally negligent and violent issue as well.
Yes it is very common for people to simply destroy their own property or say their was more damage to their vehicle after an accident then there really was. These cases don't physically affect other individuals. Unfortunately their is also another side of insurance fraud that is committed by the worst type of people who have no regard for others. I will give an example of one case that is being worked by one of the detectives.
A basic summary of this case would be the suspect was driving his car down one of the major streets in Sacramento during rush hour with the intent of causing an accident. In order to accomplish this he would wait in stop-and-go traffic and cut into lanes when gaps appeared, an then slamming on his breaks unnecessarily in attempt to cause the car behind him to rear end him. After unsuccessfully attempting this maneuver on different cars, the suspect finally got a car to hit him. The car that hit him was an elderly couple in their 70s. The man was only in a minor accident in which minor damage was visible but did not leave his car and requested medical attention when others went to check on the accident. The elderly couple were luckily not harmed in the situation.
Luckily in this case, one of the individuals who failed to run into the back of the suspects car recognized what was going on and when he witnessed the accident he pulled over to check on the scene and give his statement to the responding officers. In this situation the responding officers do not have the proper evidence to give any citations or make any arrests. The suspect is free to go and file his insurance claim that he was hit and that the elderly couple was at fault. The insurance company of the elderly couple is the agency that sent us the case file to review. Case still pending
Now this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Staged accidents and involving innocent people in the ploy of collecting money through insurance fraud happens quite often. Imagine if the elderly couple had gotten hurt, then imagine it was your grandparents or your parents that were hurt. This is just one of the important reasons investigating and reporting insurance fraud is so important. Insurance fraud isn't just a financial issue to society but a criminally negligent and violent issue as well.
Interviewing My Sergeant
For my interview I chose the Detective Sergeant in charge of the task force I am assigned to help. Here is what he had to say;
What are the main job responsibilities of your position?
- Not only do I do my part to carry out the mission and objectives of this department I also supervise a team of detectives who work on my assigned task force. It is my job to ensure the needs of the detectives are being met (equipment, raining, safety issues, etc). I oversee their cases and help where needed as well as review my own cases.
How did you choose this career field?
- I just saw it as a very interesting and rewarding job.
What type of education or training is needed for the position?
- A Bachelors degree is required for the department and prior law enforcement experience is preferred but not required. You will also need to graduate from a P.O.S.T. approved academy. Excellent verbal/written communication skills is also required to perform this job.
What advise would you give to someone interested in this field?
- It is important to maintain good character and leadership skills. Helping out in the community and doing community service is also a great idea not only because it shows your dedication to the community but gives a glimpse of your character. Community service is essentially what this job is. Study, Study, Study. enhancing your knowledge will only help with the performance of your duties as well as the ability to progress up in ranks through your career. It also helps to find a mentor in the law enforcement field to help you.
Do they notice any new trends in the field?
- It is a tough time to be joining law enforcement due to the renewed public/media scrutiny towards law enforcement. This is where the studying comes into play by knowing and following the law and department policy so you always know your doing the right thing.
Why would you be interested in this career field?
- There are many different reasons why someone would choose this career field. like I mentioned before, their are so many different jobs you can do such as patrol, corrections, investigations, air operations, and much more. Unlike a lot of other career fields, this job can be different day to day and it really appeals to those looking for a team environment. Not many people say they have coworkers who are willing to risk their lives for you if called upon. Also, even with the public scrutiny this job is extremely rewarding when your able to help someone and make a difference in their lives.
What are the main job responsibilities of your position?
- Not only do I do my part to carry out the mission and objectives of this department I also supervise a team of detectives who work on my assigned task force. It is my job to ensure the needs of the detectives are being met (equipment, raining, safety issues, etc). I oversee their cases and help where needed as well as review my own cases.
How did you choose this career field?
- I just saw it as a very interesting and rewarding job.
What type of education or training is needed for the position?
- A Bachelors degree is required for the department and prior law enforcement experience is preferred but not required. You will also need to graduate from a P.O.S.T. approved academy. Excellent verbal/written communication skills is also required to perform this job.
What advise would you give to someone interested in this field?
- It is important to maintain good character and leadership skills. Helping out in the community and doing community service is also a great idea not only because it shows your dedication to the community but gives a glimpse of your character. Community service is essentially what this job is. Study, Study, Study. enhancing your knowledge will only help with the performance of your duties as well as the ability to progress up in ranks through your career. It also helps to find a mentor in the law enforcement field to help you.
Do they notice any new trends in the field?
- It is a tough time to be joining law enforcement due to the renewed public/media scrutiny towards law enforcement. This is where the studying comes into play by knowing and following the law and department policy so you always know your doing the right thing.
Why would you be interested in this career field?
- There are many different reasons why someone would choose this career field. like I mentioned before, their are so many different jobs you can do such as patrol, corrections, investigations, air operations, and much more. Unlike a lot of other career fields, this job can be different day to day and it really appeals to those looking for a team environment. Not many people say they have coworkers who are willing to risk their lives for you if called upon. Also, even with the public scrutiny this job is extremely rewarding when your able to help someone and make a difference in their lives.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Preparing for Life After College
Although in my current situation I am technically still in school and a full time student, I am beginning to change mindset from student to ... well not being a student. With the internship and the academy, my mind has been constantly on the future and what the plan is. ever since high school i have been a student including summer school. I was able to live off of part time wages and the luxuries handed down from my parents such as furniture and my car. Although I have also been working since in high school, it wasn't a job that made me think of my future like I have been lately. It has come to the point where it is time to apply everything I studied in school to the career field I hope to achieve. I won't have the flexible schedule that is one of the best parts of college life where you can at times just take a spontaneous trips with your friends just because. Instead of thinking about what bar me and my friends will go to after I get home from work or school I find myself thinking about what I'll be making for breakfast as I am getting ready for bed. I am finding myself thinking about where I want to live and buy a house and all the other things that come with preparing to live life without homework and due dates for items you aren't getting paid to do. I'm excited for the future and feel prepared to move forward thanks greatly in part to my experiences through school.
Current Cases
So I have mentioned the responsibilities of my department and the overall mission of investigating those who commit insurance fraud. There are tons of ways to do this however and no way to get everyone. Usually the only people who get caught are those who make the fraud obvious and to make it simple, "We don't catch the smart ones" was a phrase I remember hearing. To help everyone following my posts I will explain some current cases and how we get the cases to begin with. Hopefully it will shed light on what the phrase refers too.
So a case begins with an insurance company's, such as Geicho, investigations department sending us a case that they believe fraud was in play. They determine there was a fraudulent claim through many of the same methods our department does such as differences in witness statements, inconsistencies in damages of claimed loss, and prior claims. The case will then be sent to our department and the detectives in the department will review the case and pursue further leads. Let me give some examples of the above mentioned methods of determining fraud.
Differences in Witness Statements
This pretty easy to understand but I can give examples of what people are saying and why they are saying it. One of the more common cases of insurance fraud we receive includes a legitimate accident at which the claim is justified but turns to fraud when they add certain things in the claim such as someone being in the car that was not actually in the car at the time of the incident and that person was hurt. I will summarize one case I was able to review and what was said to happen. An individual is parks along the street to allow passenger to run into a store, as the car is parked on the street another vehicle backs up into the driver side of the vehicle at a slow rate of speed when it was pulling out of a parking spot on the opposite side of the street. The car that was hit claims that the passenger was in the car and that medical attention. When interviewed, the driver and suspected passenger confirmed the story but when interviewing bystanders and witnesses it was said the passenger was in the store at time of the accident and actually came out of the store and was verbally and visibly upset while confronting the driver of the other vehicle. It was then said the passenger got in the car and began to appear injured when more bystanders walked up to the scene. After again interviewing the driver and suspected passenger of the vehicle that was hit, they confess to fraudulently claiming a passenger and injury in order to get a bigger pay out from insurance company.
Inconsistencies in Damage
This area is simple in that people that may get into a small accident will cause more damage themselves in order to get a bigger pay out. Some common things seen would include the suspects self deploying their air bags or causing a second accident purposely to cause more damage.
Prior Claims
This section refers mainly to individuals who regularly partake in insurance fraud and our on agencies radars. Unlike the two methods above that can be committed by people who are just reacting to an incident in a dishonest way, prior claims usually refers to individuals that plan staged accidents and make multiple claims or are involved in other individual's claims as an injured party. Their are individuals that make their entire living off of insurance fraud. This usually involves a group of individuals who own an auto-shop or dealers license who buy salvaged vehicles, fix them crash them, collect the insurance money, and fix the car again for far less money then they received from the insurance claim and repeat the whole process multiple times.
So a case begins with an insurance company's, such as Geicho, investigations department sending us a case that they believe fraud was in play. They determine there was a fraudulent claim through many of the same methods our department does such as differences in witness statements, inconsistencies in damages of claimed loss, and prior claims. The case will then be sent to our department and the detectives in the department will review the case and pursue further leads. Let me give some examples of the above mentioned methods of determining fraud.
Differences in Witness Statements
This pretty easy to understand but I can give examples of what people are saying and why they are saying it. One of the more common cases of insurance fraud we receive includes a legitimate accident at which the claim is justified but turns to fraud when they add certain things in the claim such as someone being in the car that was not actually in the car at the time of the incident and that person was hurt. I will summarize one case I was able to review and what was said to happen. An individual is parks along the street to allow passenger to run into a store, as the car is parked on the street another vehicle backs up into the driver side of the vehicle at a slow rate of speed when it was pulling out of a parking spot on the opposite side of the street. The car that was hit claims that the passenger was in the car and that medical attention. When interviewed, the driver and suspected passenger confirmed the story but when interviewing bystanders and witnesses it was said the passenger was in the store at time of the accident and actually came out of the store and was verbally and visibly upset while confronting the driver of the other vehicle. It was then said the passenger got in the car and began to appear injured when more bystanders walked up to the scene. After again interviewing the driver and suspected passenger of the vehicle that was hit, they confess to fraudulently claiming a passenger and injury in order to get a bigger pay out from insurance company.
Inconsistencies in Damage
This area is simple in that people that may get into a small accident will cause more damage themselves in order to get a bigger pay out. Some common things seen would include the suspects self deploying their air bags or causing a second accident purposely to cause more damage.
Prior Claims
This section refers mainly to individuals who regularly partake in insurance fraud and our on agencies radars. Unlike the two methods above that can be committed by people who are just reacting to an incident in a dishonest way, prior claims usually refers to individuals that plan staged accidents and make multiple claims or are involved in other individual's claims as an injured party. Their are individuals that make their entire living off of insurance fraud. This usually involves a group of individuals who own an auto-shop or dealers license who buy salvaged vehicles, fix them crash them, collect the insurance money, and fix the car again for far less money then they received from the insurance claim and repeat the whole process multiple times.
Benefits of My Internship and Future Goals
I am in a good situation being surrounded by individuals who have been where I am right now and can give valuable advice about my future career within law enforcement. Along with the advice about my future I am getting advice on my current experience in the academy and encouragement throughout the process.
Future Advice
So I have had very good discussions with individuals in my office about my future plans and what to consider. Although I believe I have the law enforcement agency I would like to be a part of chosen in my mind, the detectives recommend not limiting my options and researching other departments as well. What is important to me is furthering my education and having opportunities for advancement within a department. The detectives highly encouraged the pursuit of further education and mentioned the ability to take advanced classes through academy classes. Most departments provide incentives for furthering your education which I find encouraging in itself. Another subject mentioned is the retirement offered by the agencies. There is different retirement offered for officers depending what level you are at within the law enforcement jurisdictions such as federal, state, county, and city peace officers. It was brought to my attention the lack of ability to transfer between the jurisdictions with your qualifying years. For example, if I were to work with a county enforcement agency and transfer to a federal agency, my years in law enforcement within the county agency may not count towards my retirement plan for the federal agency and in essence I would be starting over. This is important to think about considering the years on the job play a major role in money you get after you retire.
Current Advice
So police academy are all different in their own ways but stressful all the same. The academy is set up to put stress on the recruits and encourage them to get the job done regardless. Although the stress is present, the support and tools to succeed are also present and you learn very early on to lean on your fellow recruits to work as a team to get through as you would on the job. Being in an extended format, many of my fellow recruits are participating in this academy at night an on the weekends as well as working all day at their current jobs as I do with the internship. Learning how to handle this has been a learning curve. I have the ability to ask people who have been through similar experiences about advice and help with anything i may need help with during my studies. The emphasis on taking a step back and relax even for a short period of time to spend time with family and friends makes a huge difference in feeling fresh and capable of performing as well as serving as a reminder of why I have decided this career field. They themselves emphasize the importance on leaning on my fellow recruits and finding out who is struggling in areas that I am not and help them and same goes for seeking help from others who are excelling in areas I am not.
I will continue to listen to the advice given and take advantage of this opportunity in my internship to prepare myself for the future.
Future Advice
So I have had very good discussions with individuals in my office about my future plans and what to consider. Although I believe I have the law enforcement agency I would like to be a part of chosen in my mind, the detectives recommend not limiting my options and researching other departments as well. What is important to me is furthering my education and having opportunities for advancement within a department. The detectives highly encouraged the pursuit of further education and mentioned the ability to take advanced classes through academy classes. Most departments provide incentives for furthering your education which I find encouraging in itself. Another subject mentioned is the retirement offered by the agencies. There is different retirement offered for officers depending what level you are at within the law enforcement jurisdictions such as federal, state, county, and city peace officers. It was brought to my attention the lack of ability to transfer between the jurisdictions with your qualifying years. For example, if I were to work with a county enforcement agency and transfer to a federal agency, my years in law enforcement within the county agency may not count towards my retirement plan for the federal agency and in essence I would be starting over. This is important to think about considering the years on the job play a major role in money you get after you retire.
Current Advice
So police academy are all different in their own ways but stressful all the same. The academy is set up to put stress on the recruits and encourage them to get the job done regardless. Although the stress is present, the support and tools to succeed are also present and you learn very early on to lean on your fellow recruits to work as a team to get through as you would on the job. Being in an extended format, many of my fellow recruits are participating in this academy at night an on the weekends as well as working all day at their current jobs as I do with the internship. Learning how to handle this has been a learning curve. I have the ability to ask people who have been through similar experiences about advice and help with anything i may need help with during my studies. The emphasis on taking a step back and relax even for a short period of time to spend time with family and friends makes a huge difference in feeling fresh and capable of performing as well as serving as a reminder of why I have decided this career field. They themselves emphasize the importance on leaning on my fellow recruits and finding out who is struggling in areas that I am not and help them and same goes for seeking help from others who are excelling in areas I am not.
I will continue to listen to the advice given and take advantage of this opportunity in my internship to prepare myself for the future.
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