Journalist Undercover

One of my top stories to cover was when I went undercover for 10 weeks. No, the article wasn't on the level of a Woodward/Bernstein piece, but it was still so much fun!

I worked in the Township of Denville for many years covering all the ins and outs of the tiny Morris County town life. I was at every parade, every middle school play, high school graduation, and town council meeting. I met so many people who I am still in contact with today.

One of the opportunities I had was the chance to go undercover at the extremely popular Denville Township Citizen's Police Academy. The opportunity to join the program came to me in an unexpected way.

During an interview with the police chief, I asked about writing up a story on the Citizen's Police Academy and its beginnings. He told me a bit about it, but then he said that to truly understand it, I needed to write about it as a student in the class. Boy was I excited to go undercover.

The first night of class was so much fun. We got to tour the department, see the cells in the jail, try out the breathalyzer equipment, and I even got to sit in the backseat of a police car. We also got the schedule for the upcoming weeks and what to expect.

While studying law was not my major in college, I loved every minute of this class. We were able to ask questions without feeling bad. I consistently questioned the police about certain things in town and why they were the way they were.

Citizen's Police Academy, 2018

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about my favorite night of the program though. Towards the end of the program, we got to spend a night at the Morris County Public Safety Academy where we were put through the rigors of the rookies in the academy. I had to search a building with a gun, take firearms training, conduct motor vehicle stops, and much more. It was honestly such an adrenaline rush. I went home that night and couldn't wait to share pictures and videos with my family.

Another perk of this class was getting to know the police officers. While I was mainly in the class to cover the class aspect for the newspaper, I also got to know the cops on a different level. Many other stories came out of my time spent in class. I spoke to two officers who responded to Puerto Rico after a hurricane. I also spoke to an officer who was conducting a staged traffic accident at the high school to simulate what drinking and driving can do to your body.

The class ended in the middle of April but there was still one thing left to do. After successfully graduating from the program, all members of the class were invited to go on a ride along with an officer. I had to take full advantage and I got to see what it was really like to be a cop. I'll admit, it was a little scary as I had to put a bullet proof vest on over my clothes, but it was a very eye opening experience.

I've had family in law enforcement for as long as I can remember. If you have any thoughts that being a cop is an easy thing to do, I highly recommend seeing if this course might be available in your town. I learned a lot and certainly gained more respect for those who put themselves on the line everyday.

Signing off,