Students, police officers join forces

By Denise Dick

Staff report

canfield

Long hours and working holidays might not make the ideal summer for most soon-to-be high school seniors, but that’s how three seniors in the criminal-justice program at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center spent their time off.

Daniel Farinelli of Poland, Tyler McIlvain of Sebring and Robert Sanchez of Lowellville spent their summer working alongside members of the Columbiana and Alliance police departments.

The students worked eight-to-10-hour shifts as they participated in ride-a-longs and policing of community events.

Sometimes that meant working on the Fourth of July and at local community events such as the Columbiana Street Fair.

When being a law-enforcement officer is something you wanted to become from a young age, however, the students say all the work is worth it.

“I always wanted to be a police officer and help people and give back to the community,” Farinelli said.

This was Farinelli’s fourth year working with the Columbiana Police Department.

All the students agreed that working alongside the police officers solidified their interest in pursuing a career in criminal justice.

“The work is exciting,” Sanchez said. “You go from a dull moment right to excitement. And I learned a lot things not usually covered in class from this experience.”

McIlvain noted the camaraderie between the police officers.

“You have so much fun when you’re out in the field that you don’t realize the time and just want to keep going,” he said.

“Everyone was so nice and welcoming, they made me feel at home,” he said.

McIlvain plans to attend the police academy and work toward becoming a full-time officer upon graduation from the center in June.