Anthony Maio ’17 is spending the summer on the patrol as he interns with the Bethlehem, N.Y., Police Department.
Maio, a sociology major with a concentration in criminology, is interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice after graduation. With the Bethlehem Police Department, Maio observes officers on duty through ride-alongs, works with dispatchers, and attends court. He works with 20 patrol officers, five patrol sergeants, eight detectives, and 10 telecommunications employees. “All of the people I work with are very hard-working and professional,” says Maio, “and they are always very helpful whenever I have any questions.”
While completing ride-alongs, Maio observes the different ways officers approach each call. “Learning different ways to respond to different situations has been so important,” says Maio. “I’ve learned that some situations require an officer to give advice, some demand officers to diffuse a situation, others need officers to listen, and some require all three tactics. The officers that I worked with teach me a lot about communicating with people in different ways.”
Though Bethlehem, N.Y., is relatively small, there is always something for Maio to do. “Going into this internship, I was expecting not to be too busy, since the Town of Bethlehem is definitely on the quieter side, but there are nights where we go to multiple accidents, assault calls, and domestic violence calls, without time to stop for 20 minutes to eat dinner,” he says. “Dispatch can get stressful too. There are times when seven or eight people could be calling about an accident and dispatchers are responsible for answering all of those calls, getting accurate information, and then accurately relaying it to the officers on duty. It can get hectic very quickly.”
While each day is different for Maio, one thing remains consistent: keeping his mind and options open. “My experience with the Bethlehem Police Department gives me more respect for what police officers do when I see all of the situations they deal with every day,” says Maio. “One thing that I have learned at Le Moyne, though, is the ability to understand why people may be at a disadvantage. I’ve come into contact with people who have done something wrong, and even though I knew what they did was wrong, I understood, on some level, why they did what they did.” As for career plans after graduation, Maio is taking in what he can from his officers. “I’m going to follow the advice of the people I’ve met at my internship and take the necessary policing tests—state and federal — so I can have as many options as possible moving forward.”
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Sociology
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