Career center students investigate police work

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Neighbors | Submitted.Students Tyler McIlvain (left), Robert Sanchez and Daniel Farinelli spent their summer working alongside members of the Columbiana and Alliance Police Departements. .They participated in ride-a-longs and policing community events, like the Columbiana Street Fair.

Long hours and working holidays isn’t the ideal summer for most soon-to-be high school seniors.

But three seniors in the Criminal Justice program at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center wouldn’t have had it any other way.

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 and sometimes more as they participated in ride-a-longs and policing of community events, which sometimes meant working on the Fourth of July and at local community events like the Columbiana Street Fair.

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

“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,” McIlvain said of the ride-a-longs.

McIlvain also noted the camaraderie between the police officers.

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

So much so that McIlvain plans to attend the police academy and work toward becoming and full-time officer upon graduation from the career center in June.