Inside a Police Internship

We sit down with our summer interns, Jackson and Cody, to talk about how a “summer job” turned into real clarity about a future in law enforcement. They share the moments that shaped them, from family legacies to long surveillance days that end with SWAT action, plus what they wish every applicant knew before applying.

• why both interns chose the Allen Police internship program 
• how family law enforcement history shapes career decisions 
• a full circle story with Sergeant Williams and past connections 
• what a narcotics surveillance day really looks like 
• how SWAT warrants work and what a nine-banger is 
• what K9 training teaches about focus and control 
• what interns learn on patrol ride-alongs including a DWI arrest process 
• what the oral board feels like and how to prepare 
• why relationships and mentorship matter in a police department 

If you'd like to learn more about our intern program, you can check us out on our website, AllenPolice.org. 
And make sure to like and subscribe. 
And if you have any comments, leave them down below.

Transcript

Meet The Summer Interns

Officer Sam Rippamonti 0:02

Welcome back to another episode of Allen Police Behind the Badge. We're your hosts, Officer Sam Rippomani and Alexus Birmingham. And today our guests are summer interns, Jackson and Cody. Thank you for joining us, guys. Yeah, thanks for having us. Thank you guys. Yeah, thanks for coming on, guys. So uh how has how's the summer been?

Intern Cody 0:19

I mean, it's been it's been pretty great. A lot of fun. Coming in as an intern. It's I was I came in looking for a summer job, um, just something to make a little extra money and found out about this internship. Um I couldn't you know, looking for a summer job is gonna be pretty boring, just boring work. Ended up coming to this internship, having fun basically every day coming in, so it's been great. Yeah.

Intern Jackson 0:42

I kind of had this on my radar for a long time. I go to school up in Kansas actually made the trip down for the entire summer to do this. So it's just been it's been a lot of fun though, it's been great.

Why They Want Law Enforcement

Officer Sam Rippamonti 0:50

And did you guys want to like being in law enforcement, or was this just something that you were just wanting to do over the summer?

Speaker 5 0:57

So I I grew up, both my parents were law enforcement. Um my dad did 30 years, my mom did 25 years. Um and they had always told me I'm not allowed to do law enforcement. It was totally pushed away. Um they said uh you're not doing it, you're we're not letting you. So it was always in the back of my mind. Um so I had to push them pretty hard to let me come internship have an internship here. Um and I actually talked to them about it. They said they knew when I came to do this internship that I was gonna love police work. And they were right, I definitely feel like this has been a calling for me. Um and I'm happy to come in every day and get to work.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 1:32

So what did you want to do prior to this?

Speaker 5 1:35

Uh I was I was going the nursing route, so I was gonna go to graduate my four years from University of Alabama, roll tide. Um and I was gonna graduate and go to a two-year program, and I eventually wanted to become a nurse anestheticist, but I found this route and found like this is the way for me. So you're locked in now. Yeah, I'm locked in.

Speaker 4 1:56

Um kind of similar to Cody, but not. But um uh I've actually my grandfather and my father both have done law enforcement. My uh grandfather was a state trooper for about 40 years, my dad actually works for the city of Island, he's been here about 20. And I've wanted to be a state trooper since I was about probably sixth grade. Is so it's been my dream forever. So this is just kind of helping me towards that path, and I've been making great connections and meeting a lot of really great people that are gonna help me do that. So it's been yeah, it's been awesome.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 2:21

And do you want to be an officer or a state trooper? What route are you trying to do?

Speaker 4 2:25

I want to be a trooper, yep. So I um it's like I said, it's my dream since I was a kid. I love the state more than anything. I like I said earlier. I go to school in Kansas, but being away for those three years only made me love this place more. It's really, really is special. So I think wanting to come back, kind of serve the state. Also with uh DPS, you know, the opportunity to kind of see the entire state, live in different places and all that stuff. I think it would be really, really cool.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 2:47

But uh, West Texas for sure.

Speaker 4 2:49

It's cool though. Your mama's not gonna like it. She's not, but yeah, it's I mean, as long as I'm in the state, I know you know it'll be fun, but yeah, definitely a trooper.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 2:57

So it's a cool story with Jackson. Uh my father-in-law's retired state trooper, and they worked together, his grandfather and my father-in-law. So I was able to take Jackson by one day and and meet my in-laws, and they would talk about he told them some old stories from back in the day. It was. No, it was great.

Speaker 4 3:14

Actually, I lost my grandfather uh in 2015, so I was only about 10 years old. So kind of at the age where I didn't get to really hear all the fun stories, just kind of the normal stuff. So getting to sit down with Buddy and hear all that stuff, it was it was amazing. It was really great.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 3:26

Good people. Uh I got to meet your your grandfather when I was about 20. I've heard. Yeah, I might have been driving a little too fast. Yeah. And uh he was he he was very respectful, but uh I did leave there with a ticket. That's the last citation I think I've actually gotten in my life. I've heard I don't get any more.

Speaker 4 3:45

It's funny you know, I've lived in McCain my whole life where him and Buddy worked, and um I've met people my whole life in like uh probably early high school. I played with a guy on my baseball team, and his dad, once he found out who my mom was and her maiden name, he's he knew right away. And uh he just he got as a reputation, but in a good way, you know. You just he was honest, but you know, he you didn't really leave without a ticket most of the time.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 4:05

So he expected people to follow traffic laws and uh he would get you if you weren't for sure.

Speaker 5 4:11

He's got that impacting last name, Talifarrow. But my last name actually, um besides my parents, my law enforcement background goes pretty deep. My dad's dad, so my grandfather was Mass State Police. Um his uncle was actually the first ever captain of Massachusetts State Police. So that the top academy of the Mass State police gets the Shimkiss trophy, which is my last name. So No way. I went from Massachusetts, kind of have a legacy there. My parents built a legacy in California, so kind of carrying the carrying the torch

Family Legacy And Full Circle Moments

Speaker 5 4:44

out to Texas.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 4:44

So And you have some a good story you could share too. Like how what brought you here and how you know like Larry, can you share that?

Speaker 5 4:52

Um Sergeant Williams from Allen Police uh worked with my dad in Hawthorne, him and uh Sergeant Pfeiffer as well. And Larry was actually shot in the line of duty. So when I was about 16 no, I was 10, so this was in 2016, um, I went to see Larry at the hospital with my dad. Um we had the bullet to the leg. He was all um bandaged up, had so many nurses in there taking care of him, and I I remember thinking like wow, this is this is what my parents do every day. This is crazy. They're risking their lives for everyone. So um come 10 years fast forward, just a crazy moment, find out Sergeant Williams is working at Allen, have an opportunity internship here. And I actually get to go on ride-alongs with him. Um about I think we've gone on two together. This crazy full circle moment, going from seeing them laying up in the hospital bed to working besides him. It's just it's amazing. I don't that's God's work right there.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 5:44

So you even got to hang out with Pfeiffer also, right? During SWAT training.

Speaker 5 5:50

Actually go out to some SWAT missions. I mean, as an intern, it's like you can't believe what what we get to do. Like I I have some friends who do internships, sit behind the computer all day, watch YouTube. We're actually out there getting to see all this stuff. It's it's so fun.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 6:04

We have a chief that's you know that backs us, and we're able to really kind of push it and get y'all out there and get you some some real life experience to where you you know, we want you to hopefully take that step and and come into this career after you know you're done with college. And I think the only way to do that is to actually get y'all out there and see what it's really like and uh you know, put y'all with our SWAT guys and you know, canine, and I'm sure y'all have some stories from that this summer. Some good stories. Oh, sure. Anything we can get y'all with, we've been trying to do that. Yeah, and and and for us, me and Sammy, this is have this has been our first year, you know. Yeah we took over the internship program, and we're kind of learning ourselves, you know, we're trying to put you guys in as much as we can get you in. I mean, from narcotics to SWAT, like all around, um, and give you the full meal. Cause I mean, for me, I've done an internship before and I've sat behind that computer and it was not fun at all. So getting you guys out in the field and being able to learn and just you know, meet all our officers and build that relationship because those are the ones that you will have forever. Um, and you can always reach out to them and you know have that point of contact. So I'm I'm so happy for you guys that you've enjoyed it.

Speaker 5 7:22

We're super thankful for this opportunity and everything.

Speaker 4 7:24

It's been really nice. A lot of officers they've been able to reach out, you know, get our phone numbers and they text us and they always like, you know, whatever you need, just let us know. And just it's been it's been really great.

Speaker 5 7:32

So even like walking in in the mornings, it's like we're getting to know everyone, we're seeing like already getting our nicknames. Some not good, but they're like a really part of it. So it's it's a great community here. Everyone's been super welcoming. Um obviously, like first day coming to work at a police department, it's pretty intimidating. I'm 20, uh 21. It's like intimidating walking in and seeing all these guys in uniform, guns everywhere, but super welcoming, and I just had a great time.

Speaker 4 8:04

I think it's definitely helpful though. We've both been around it our entire lives, you know, having that law enforcement in our family.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 8:10

So yeah, yeah, there's definitely that comfort level. Can you tell you've been around law enforcement?

Speaker 4 8:16

Yeah. And I I I don't know about you, but I see that like in college, you know. If we get you know we get pulled over or something, all these guys roll jittery and stuff. I'm like, just another guy, you know. They're usually just really cool people.

Speaker 5 8:26

So it gives you like a new sense of seeing law enforcement like because you talk to 90% of people are like, oh, the police, I'm scared of the police, when in reality they're super nice, like humble guys just going to do their job. So it's been definitely cool to actually firsthand experience that with Jackson and glad we glad we get along. So that's it's helped a lot.

Speaker 2 8:53

Yeah, a lot of people almost say, Did you all know each other before?

Speaker 4 8:57

Did you know Cody before? Like, no, I met him about a couple weeks ago, and now I mean they can't tell.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 9:02

So routinely call them Harry and Lloyd. Yeah, I'm not gonna say what movie that's from, but you know, for those that know movies, you'll be able to figure that one out pretty easy. Yeah, it'd be pretty good. Which one's Harry and which one's Harry? Yeah, they know. Yeah, they can figure it out. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. I can't believe summer's already coming to an end. Yeah, you got football starting up too. Yep.

Speaker 4 9:23

I'm going back in about uh probably a week and a half now. Got two days starting up, all that stuff. So I've been working out. I'm sorry, I've been working out, but um, it's been really nice. One of the things that Allen does, they're super huge on their physical fitness of their officers. So I get an hour every day to go work out and I get paid for it, which has been awesome. And then the uh be having access to the boxing gym as well. There's racks, machines, a ton of stuff that's really helped me. And I got to do a little bit above and beyond of what I was supposed to do with football. So I'm really excited to get back in there. I haven't seen you climb the rope yet. I'm not doing that. Hold me up.

Speaker 6 9:56

That rope's snapping from the ceiling. There you go. There it is.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 10:00

Yeah, I went in there and worked out with you. Um, I think me and Cody were in there one day and you were doing your squats, and he's over there repping like 400 pounds or whatever. Yeah, we're over here doing our little exercises.

Speaker 5 10:13

Here comes Jackson. Every plate in the gym is on his bar. I'm like, can we give you some of those?

Speaker 4 10:18

Tammy comes over and picks up the bar looking looking like he's about to squat and start doing heel raises with the time off real quick.

Speaker 2 10:26

I'm not coming back up. It's not gonna happen for sure. Yeah, yeah.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 10:29

Do you

Inside The Internship Experience

Officer Sam Rippamonti 10:30

do you guys have any good stories you can share? Oh man.

Speaker 5 10:32

Yeah, we gotta I get it. From some start, you start from the first time. Obviously, we do a lot of this stuff together, but um, I think my most memorable story is we were with narcotics for the week. Um, so there's there's been a series of uh armed robberies. So a kid, I think he was 17 at the time, basically pressing people at gunpoint and stealing jewelry, stealing necklaces, rings, all that type of stuff. So we go out with narcotics, the guys take us out in their undercover cars, and we're surveilling the house. So I think we get there. We got into work at 8 a.m. that day. We get to the house around 10 a.m. set up, and we're watching the house. We're just waiting to see if we can get confirmation if he's home, and if we can, we can call SWAT and they'll come hit the house and take him into custody. So we think, you know, it's a kid on summer, like two hours, he's gonna be outside. You know, he's gotta come outside eventually, right? So we sit at the house from 10 a.m. till about 8 30 p.m. So that's I think that's about 10. It's about 10 and a half hours in the car. We got to know the nut guys really well. Sitting in the spot with them for 10 and a half hours. But um, so it's 8 30. We're hungry, we're tired, we're like, all right, we'll give it till nine. Nine comes, we'll call it, we'll go home, right?

Speaker 4 11:41

Like sun is down at the sun.

Speaker 5 11:42

Sun is dead, it's dark outside. We're losing sight. Um, so we're like, all right, nine o'clock, we'll call it. Let's give it 30 minutes. 8 50. Here he comes, popping out the front door. Like, happy to see him, but man, that means we gotta stay another you know a couple hours.

Speaker 6 11:55

So we finally get eyes on him.

Speaker 4 11:57

Yeah. Um well originally the jump guys, they were gonna see if they can just grab him real quick, you know, just yeah, get him off the street, get him over with. He was on the phone with someone.

Speaker 5 12:05

Yeah, he goes on the phone, he finally shows up out of the front door. Um, so about 10 minutes before we were gonna leave. Typical timing. But so we call, end up making the call. They they call out SWAT and they hit the house at about uh it was like 10 minutes after midnight, so it was 12-10 in the morning. Yeah, super fast. Like all happened in like five minutes. It was so cool to see. Um, you know, like they threw in the nine banger, you're hearing all the neighbors waking up.

Speaker 4 12:32

Or jolting bull of action is midnight. You can tell we fell asleep in the car before. Yeah, we're like we're dozing off in the car waiting. We're we're taking 15-minute increments on next back and forth.

Speaker 5 12:43

Um, so they hit the house, uh, take them into custody. It was really cool to see. Um, but I think we ended up having an 18-hour workday that day.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 12:51

So that was it wasn't designed to be. I mean, they were like, oh, you guys can go home. Like, nope, we gotta see this through. I'm too invested at this point. I was actually getting in bed and I got the call out to come back in for the for the swap mission.

Speaker 4 13:07

So I think we got to the station at 1 30, just getting done, and you texted me. I was like, Oh, rip's out here.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 13:15

Yeah, but because I was there for negotiator purposes, but also we we deal with the media, and I was like, when I heard that nine bang go off at 12 30 in the morning or whatever it was, I was like, Oh my gosh, my phone's gonna start ringing. But believe it or not, it was it was silent and uh it it yeah, yeah. I know. I didn't even know. I came back to work and they were like, Yeah, there was like a swap fish, but they were like exciting, like all the time.

Speaker 6 13:39

We're back at 8 a.m. waiting for narcotics to get in. They're they're coming in at like 11.

Speaker 2 13:44

They're like, Yeah.

Speaker 5 13:50

Yeah, we were when we were watching the house in the cars. Obviously, we have the cars running um because it's you know 100 degrees outside, we gotta keep the cars running. Um, and it's you see a car parked outside of your house for seven hours running, it's it's a little suspicious. So, you know, we're getting there's been some 911 calls on our vehicle from some neighbors. Um, you know, they're walking around our car, kind of like reading out the license plate. Um, and they they end up calling, you know, dispatch on us, and they said, Oh, well, come check it out. So then they know it's us. So um when they hear the nine-banger and they see, you know, 10 police cars, we actually saw that them peeking out the window.

Speaker 6 14:26

They're like, Oh man, we we messed up.

Speaker 5 14:29

I know we called it on the flu.

Speaker 6 14:31

We called it on the blues.

Speaker 4 14:32

We're trying to get a bad guy off the street, you know.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 14:33

We're trying to stop it, but yeah. Yeah, that's funny.

Speaker 5 14:36

That's definitely a memorable story for you.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 14:38

It's kind of puts in perspective too now in law enforcement, a lot of times it can be that way. It's really slow, and then all of a sudden, yeah, it just the ceiling falls out, you know. It just gets crazy in a split second, and then it's and the worst stress is on, and then it's back to calm. Yeah, it's up and down, you never know what's gonna happen.

Speaker 4 15:01

What about you, Jackson? What's your man? I think a really good one was the next day we were together. Um, actually, we were just with narcotics again. They're just doing you know their normal stuff.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 15:10

So we gotta get off narcotics. They're gonna make their head work. We got some high egos after this.

Speaker 4 15:16

Um, they um they got a call and just help out SWAT again, just kind of shut down the street, nothing big. Um, so we um we uh got the call. So later that evening we ran out there, and um we're our only job was to just stop traffic. And we get there, they're trying to hit this house looking for a guy, and he um he ended up not being there. So we're kind of just they shut down the street, they're talking to the parents. We're sitting on the edge of the street, and then the suspect's vehicle pulls around the corner, and me and Cody are the first shit to see. We're like, uh so we called our NARC guys, and they're like, get in the car. So we jumped in the truck and then they ran out there and they got him. But yeah, that's fun. I think kind of getting off NARC guys, but uh, I got to go out with K9 one night, whole night patrol, which was really, really fun. I got to go with um Officer Danko. He was just he was a great guy. I mean, very, very proactive. Like he was always working, which I thought was really cool and really nice to see. Um, met a lot of fun new people that night. Uh got to kind of I had to get my hand in, but I got to get out of the truck and kind of listen in, just see what they do every day. And then um towards the end of the night, he goes, You want to get bit bit by the dog? I was like, Yeah. So he got me the arm sleeve and all that stuff.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 16:21

20 years I've been bitten by the dog once. Oh, yeah, no, no, it was Rico.

Speaker 4 16:26

He we were just out in some parking lot. He goes, All right, whenever he comes out, you just take it. I'm like, let's do it. So yeah, yeah, yeah. It was it was fun though. We did it a couple times and pat him on the head, good boy, all that stuff.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 16:38

It was really fun. See, yeah, the canines we have now are not the same from when I started in this period. We used to have one, one of his name was Arno, and he wasn't a massive dog, but the dog was crazy. Like if you walked close to that Tahoe, the whole Tahoe would shake. He didn't see this uniform and think, friend, yeah, you know, same team. No, he would bite anybody but his handler. So I was terrified. I was like, I'm never getting bit by one of those dogs. If they miss that sleeve, oh that's that's true. That's gonna be terrible.

Speaker 5 17:09

Yeah, they're talking, they were explaining to us like the mind behind the canine and how you know they train it to think, and you know, they obviously they have their chew toy that they're enamored of their chew toy. So when they don't have their shoe toy, they need something to attack, basically, and keep keep themselves busy with the bite. And we we went out to a SWAT training and got to see how canine gets integrated with SWAT. Uh we played some actors. Um, so we played the bad guys, and we're coming out the house, and you hear the dog just yeah, I think it was it was Rico or Nico. They're both out there, they're both out there, and you hear them bark, and their bark is like vicious. You just like I was terrified. I'm like, you better not let go of that leash because we're the way you let go.

Speaker 4 17:50

So I don't know how any anyone could ever hear that and not just okay, I'm done.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 17:57

Like if you're chasing somebody or whatever, they're gonna let the dog loose, they'll say dog's off the leash, and you just freeze because you don't want him that you don't want the dog to think you're the suspect, and then all of a sudden you get tackled from behind. Yeah, so you just freeze, and hopefully the dog flies past you. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 18:14

When they when they have like that that bite on, they're so focused on the bite that they were actually uh um a couple of the SWAT guys would go and put their fingers in in the mouth of the dog and around the dog and pull them off. And I was like, Y'all crazy. But it but such so well trained and just crazy to see the dedication behind that.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 18:35

So one of my favorite parts when they when they do the sleeve and they they they finish the bite and then they let them have the sleeve and they run off with their tailwagon, super happy.

Speaker 4 18:51

I got kind of a funny story growing up. My dad, like I said, he works here, and this I mean this was not kind of I was little, I don't remember it, but he was out one night working, and uh RK9 guys are asking, or or I think they're helping out Plano, and they're asking if anyone wanted to volunteer just doing some drills with him. But he's like, Oh yeah, I'll do it. So only then they gave him the leg padding, like, oh, he's just going for the leg. My dad's like, all right, so uh they're out with Plano Pedia and they send the dog, dog runs up, jumps, bites him in the arm. Yeah, so to this day he has this big bump and this scar right here on his on his forearm, and I've just that was in the back of my mind the whole time. I was like, oh, I don't know. Just just the other one. I was like, I was like down here with it.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 19:32

I'm like, yeah, yeah, for sure. So, real quick earlier, we were talking about when those SWAT warrants, we we use the term nine banger. So, for the audience, for people listening, that is a it's a flashbang, essentially. Uh, traditionally, we'd always throw a trash flashbang in the house and it would go off once, and it's to create that shock and uh confusion. Well, now they throw one and it actually is nine flashbangs in one, essentially, so it really creates that shock and confusion. And uh, so just to clarify what we were talking about earlier. That'll wake you up. Yeah, it woke us up where it'll come that night from the house. We saw some lights pop on. So that's good. So SWAT and canine. Uh what else we all got to do this summer?

Speaker 5 20:20

Um, the patrol ride-alongs. Uh, I think we've done about six each now. Um, day shift, night shift, seeing how an everyday patrol officer kind of goes about their day, goes about interacting with people, with the community. Um, and the officers we've rode with, uh Officer Grove, Strickland, Baldon, you know, Bly, they've all been great. Super, super fun, fun, funny stories and fun times with them, but also seeing how they how they act, carry themselves throughout, you know, when they're going on calls, talking to people, it's been it's been truly interesting.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 20:53

We let you grab with Officer Bly. Yeah, it was interesting. It was me. Yeah, he's uh he's funny. Well, but it was good too because he's an FTO also, and so is Elainey. So they know a lot and they can prepare you. So if you ever come back and want to work here, like they will probably be your FTOs.

Speaker 5 21:13

It's funny, I'm waiting in the break room that that morning, I think it was about five. Um, they were waiting in the break room, and they asked me, so like, who you riding with today? I'm like, I think I'm with Officer Bly. And they're like, I just saw that thing.

Speaker 6 21:26

They put you a ball. Yeah, they did.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 21:28

So but it was it was great to see. He's a great guy. I'm gonna tell you what if I ever get into any altercation on the street or in out in this job, I want him beside me. That is the guy you want on your side.

Speaker 5 21:40

Definitely, I can see that. But riding with I I got to

The Long Stakeout And SWAT Warrant

Speaker 5 21:44

ride on a couple night shifts, so a lot of energy drinks, but it was it was good. And we actually I was with Officer Balden that night, and we were I think it was about two in the morning, and we see a car on seventy five, um kind of just not keeping their lane. Average like you know. Like a drunk driver. So we end up stopping them and they stopped, they hit the brakes and stopped in the middle of 75. So we were dead, like dead stop towards the right lane. He actually tries to get out of the car. He's so disoriented, he tries to get out of the car. So he eventually takes the off-ramp. Um and we can see him fidgeting in the front seat. Like it's weird. So it it turns out he was out drinking with some friends, had a little too much, and was chewing gum to try to mass the scent of the alcohol. So the D DWI comes out, the task force, they come out, um perform their tests, and it's it's pretty clear he was intoxicated. So end up taking him into custody, taking him to the hospital, getting a blood draw. And it was it was pretty eye-opening to see all the process the process of it and just how dangerous it is. Like i i the you know it was nine steps forward, nine steps backward is one of the tests. And to not even be able to get a step, getting behind the wheel, is is truly it's it was scary.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 22:59

So it's scary for the officer too, because you know, officer safety is very important, but for somebody to stop right in the middle of the highway, I mean, that's that's pretty scary and nerve-wracking for sure.

Speaker 4 23:12

Well, I just want to give props to you guys real quick. I mean, kind of coming into this, y'all asked us what our kind of our intent was after this, kind of what we want to do. And I told y'all um DPS and the state troopers, y'all really oriented my uh some of my ride outs this summer to be with that. So I got to spend a couple days with CMV, uh Will and uh Derek, you know, stopping those 18 wheelers, doing those stops. And I got to do uh traffic this week uh with Officer Roundtree. That was a lot of fun sitting up on the toll way and that, uh getting down chasing down some speeders. Um and y'all just have done a great job of really like kind of giving me well a taste of what I would deal with every day, which I really thank you guys for. And it's been it's been great. It's actually almost reinforced my look, my you know.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 23:52

We really didn't know what we were getting into when Chief said, Hey, I want y'all to run the intern program. Yeah, and I think our hope was just to place you where you want to be and where I guess what your goals are and make sure that it aligns and you get to experience that because a lot of times like you have it in your mind, oh, I want to go into nursing or this is what I really want to do, and you start working. Like for me, I wanted to do HR for a while, and then I started working in HR, and I was like, whoa, hold on. And it's a lot of policies and just different things, and it wasn't for me where listeners right now for HR my mother. But I loved city management and I loved I knew I had a niche and I loved like being out in the community and just being very involved. I loved just I knew what I liked, but being able to do it firsthand and get that experience, it really shows like this is my passion, this is where I need to be. And for you guys, I wanted the same. Like an internship is not you're not gonna get that experience sitting behind a computer, and you know, you need to be out and see what officers are doing because not just patrol, but there's so much to a police department, like different areas that you can be in, or just promoting up the ranks and you know, going to CID, like narcotics, different stuff. So it's just finding what interests you and what you want to do.

Speaker 5 25:11

Yeah, I can easily I think we're both very thankful for this. Um, thankful to you guys as well. But to think that this is a summer job, a summer internship, it blows my mind. I was about to say that I come from working at school when I'm in college, I I work at a restaurant. It's hard work. You work your tail off and for some some extra money and to come here and have a summer job, you're like, oh boring summer job. Let me try to find something. Getting this has just been so blessed.

Speaker 4 25:36

I think we've definitely said a lot of times, I can't believe we're getting paid to do this, which is crazy.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 25:40

But yeah, yeah. That's well, that's good. I mean, and secretly, Jackson, I'm I'll be honest, I was really hoping we would pull you away from the DPS sign. Yeah, but I understand that's where your love and passion is. And um, you know, you can go and do that. For sure. Hopefully you'll be in Collin County one day.

Speaker 4 25:58

Of course, yeah. But yeah, and it's been real I mean, I've had to sit down and talk to my dad. Y'all have made it really hard. And I mean, there's a stint where I'm like, I kind of want to come to Allen, you know. Like, I mean, just like how this guy, yeah. But um, I mean, just the way like the community y'all have and the way you guys police, and how y'all are allowed to actually police, and yeah, I don't put up with people trying to get away with things, and it's just been really hard, especially that new PD looks really cool. All that new gym and all that stuff looks it looks it's all really cool and really hard. Uh but yeah, definitely.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 26:32

It may not be initially, you may DPS may be you know where you go first, and for sure. You may one day want to come here. Doors not closed completely. Of course, yeah. Cody, where do you want to see yourself working?

Speaker 5 26:45

I I see myself here after this internship. Um I I've I've gotten the chance to look at my parents' old departments in Hawthorne, California, Redondo Beach, and kind of see the dynamics of it. And coming here has just been I feel like I really fit in here. Um I like the way everything's run. Allen's a great, great pol great city, uh, has a great police department. Um the inner workings of it, the relationships you build have been really something I can see myself doing for a long time.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 27:12

So mom and dad are coming around to it? They're coming around around.

Speaker 5 27:17

It's like I'm I'm picking at them a little bit picking the ice.

Speaker 4 27:20

So um I bet seeing you on the news last night, they're pretty good.

Speaker 5 27:23

Yeah, I was able to be on the news last night. So I just think a summer job, and I'm getting an interview on the news. It's it's crazy. So um that I think they see that I'm getting some some congrats text from my neighbors.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 27:35

Yeah, it's so for those listening, uh you can go to MBC Five and and look up the Allen Police Department Department intern. There was an art uh story ran last night with uh Cody and uh Sergeant Larry Williams from their past in California to kind of full circle moment coming to Allen. Complete full circle. Good story to go check out.

Speaker 5 27:58

So come here and when do you graduate? I graduate uh the plan is May of 27. Plan is May. It's it's happening. All right, it's May of 27. Um so yeah, I'll I'll graduate with my public health major and a Spanish minor um and come back here and hopefully get to work.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 28:14

So that's that's the plan. I hope that happens. And Jackson, you're gonna graduate as well?

Speaker 4 28:21

Yep, so I'm going to be a senior this year at my school, it's called Benedictine College. It's uh in North Kansas City, it's a little town called Atchison. I am uh going in my senior year. I'm a major in business management with a minor in sales. But um actually with football I registered in my freshman year, and I've been given the opportunity to do um my master's degree there, and they cover a lot of it. So I'm thinking just you play football another year, knock out my master's. So that's probably the plan.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 28:46

And your dad, you know, he's pretty proud. Somebody might have earned the starting center position coming into the season.

Speaker 4 28:53

It's not, you know, I earned it, but you know, still at fall camp coming up, so there's gonna be a lot. You gotta keep working hard for sure. Gotta gotta keep it. So there's a lot of good. I will say I I gotta give props to my team and my coaches for for one, letting me come down here. I've uh they have a summer program, of course, working out all summer and talking to my coaches, they let me come down and do this, and I'm just forever grateful for that because it it really has helped my future career. But I mean, I just am a part of a really special place up there. It's a small, small school, but small team, player-led team, and I just I've made a new family up there. And I it's a blessing being up there. I uh I went up there not knowing anybody. I met my girlfriend now, she's she's amazing, and um my sister actually followed me up there the year after. So yeah, I mean I've got a whole new family up there. So that's awesome. Yeah, I mean, this far the longest I've been home since 2023.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 29:41

Well, I hope you come home next summer since you're still gonna be in school. For sure. Maybe you can be a summer interview. Yeah, back to back summer interest. It will let Cody be your boss.

Speaker 6 29:55

Yeah, that's actually terrible ideas. Yeah, sounds great. Uh great.

Speaker 4 30:00

I don't know how you're letting him be the boss of anybody, but definitely. Not right away.

Speaker 5 30:05

Okay, okay. That's actually one of the you know, we come from very different schools. He small Catholic school. Me the total opposite. I'm one of the biggest schools in the nation. I'm lucky to be able to go there, but um with my scholarship and coming back, um, I do kind of miss that. Like that small school aspect. Uh my freshman year of high school, I had 30 kids in my freshman class, so it was very inner workings and then moved out to Texas. And it's I mean, my my high school looked like a college. I was like, is it am I at the right place?

Speaker 4 30:35

So it's funny you say that my college is actually smaller than my high school. I wish I was very off the direction. Straight backwards, yeah. So yeah, that's really cool.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 30:45

That's awesome. Yeah, we usually end our podcast with uh one thing you want to tell the community, but um what would be something that you would tell like an intern or somebody that's applying?

Speaker 5 30:56

Uh I would I would say first off, apply. If you if this is something you feel called to do, definitely just get your name out there, try to apply, see if you can get it. And if you do get it, I would say just take advantage of every opportunity you can do. Um there's so many things to do every day here, and whether in it if it is uh something you're called to do, just try to get out there, try to get that first hand experience because already I'm feeling more prepared than ever for what I'm gonna do in the future, and it's kind of led me down this path. So uh I'm very thankful for that.

Speaker 4 31:28

I'll probably say it's a it's gonna be a little intimidating at first. Um, there's some kind of there's requirements to do this, you know, to be going into your senior year 3.0 GPA in college, and then you're pit through an oral board and stuff like that, which can be really intimidating. Oral board drug tests, yeah. Um, I mean, it's all officers in uniform questioning you and asking why you want to do this. And you know, it can be intimidating, even you know, guys that have been around it. Um, but it's it's really great. I mean, it's really a family here, and there's never been a day where we haven't felt that. Like everyone's taking care of us and they've done a great job. So I would say just go out and do it and apply and and also get ready to work. Yeah, be ready. I was just gonna say that be ready to work. They give us our full 40 hours a week. We like to do our four tens, get our Fridays off, but um just get ready to work, have fun doing it, and yeah.

Speaker 5 32:12

Yeah, it's not easy, but definitely worth it. And that whole interview process, I was coming into the interview today. Like, am I gonna wear like a polo? What am I gonna wear? So I end up sending an email and it's like no suit attire. So I actually had to go buy some clothes. Uh so I went and bought some clothes, and I go in, and you know, I'm nervous, obviously. I got got a little bit of sweating going on. Um so I'm like, okay, is this gonna be like a one-on-one type of thing? Yeah. So I get get called back and I see four officers. I see two lieutenants and then an officer of Mani, and his parent, it was it was so intimidating. I was like, they start asking me, and I see a full packet of questions. I'm like, are they gonna ask me all those questions? Sure, I've been going through.

Speaker 4 32:51

I'm like, so oh yeah, I just want to be in a turn. I finished school the 12th, and my interview is on the 14th. I ran home that 13th, got a haircut, got all cleaned up. Oh, yeah, I gotta look for this gonna get ready. Yeah, there you go.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 33:04

Yeah, gotta fit in. And I'm not gonna lie, Cody, your interview kind of came in late. So we didn't know anything about you knowing Sergeant Williams and Sergeant Pfeiffer, none of that. And then we didn't even know that until after the interviews, so that was kind of neat that I was I was glad to see you didn't use that as a trying to help you out. You came in, I was like, we were all kind of like, man, we're glad we added you because y'all both did excellent in your you know in your interviews and things like that. Yeah, and I think our reasoning behind having so many people in that interview was if you are wanting to get in law enforcement, you will have to sit in an aura board, and there will be more than four people. And they are all going back and forth asking you pretty challenging questions, I will say. But we wanted to see, you know, how you handled that. And it's always good to, you know, at least try once, and then you kind of get that under your belt and know where you know your weak spots are and where you can work and get better at. So you got a little practice there, and you did really good. Both of you did.

Speaker 4 34:11

I gotta see what the future's like. I was like, Man, I got this, and then you started cracking down on me. I was like, Oh, and I got my center here. Um, what what was I a junior in high school?

Officer Sam Rippamonti 34:23

Yeah, he came and did tobacco stings with me. And uh I think we finally shut it down because everybody was wanting to sell tobacco to because he looked like he time it was till 18 to buy to purchase tobacco, and he looked like he was about 20 to 22. And uh mustache.

Speaker 4 34:44

I've never I was I've never been so nervous in my life. I walked in through that, I think it was a 7-Eleven the first one we did. I'm like, Can I get the the cigarettes? You're like, which one am I those? I don't know, I don't really want to grab it. Yeah, those will do. Yeah, he's like he's like pointing like, oh yeah, stop right there.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 34:58

Yeah, well, I mean, that's what I like to see when I have a when I have a you know a teenager come out and do tobacco things. I want to see some, I want him to be nervous and not being there, yeah. I'll take that pack of Marble watching right there.

Speaker 2 35:10

Like, have they done this before?

Speaker 5 35:13

So for sure. I don't I don't think they'd sell to me. Even now. I'll turn I'll turn 21 in two months. I'd probably I don't even think they'd do it to me.

Speaker 4 35:19

Yeah, for those listening watching, but we're doing events together and they're like, Are you guys in high school? I'm like, what? And say Goey looks like he's in high school. Yeah, I gotta ask.

Speaker 6 35:28

I told them I'm going into my senior year. They're like, Oh, what college are you going to? I'm like, I'm in college. My senior year in college.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 35:36

But well, I can I think I can speak for both of us. It y'all have been a joy to have this summer like be around. Uh like it's it's been fun. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we've had we've had a lot of fun. We've tried to get

K9 Patrol And Getting Bit

Officer Sam Rippamonti 35:48

y'all into as much stuff as we could. And we even talked about we all got to go to a gun range and shoot guns. Yeah, like interns, future interns listening. Yeah. Yeah, you get to shoot guns, logical stuff.

Speaker 4 35:59

Like cool stuff. Maybe drive track. Drive track, yeah.

Speaker 5 36:03

He actually lets us drive his city car around so that we can say that.

Speaker 6 36:07

It's not my insurance. Yeah, we're city ploys, don't worry.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 36:11

But so yeah, that is one thing. You will get to drive uh city cars as a city, one of our PD interns. Uh it's not, and I know we tell you about all we talk about all the fun stuff. There is things like with any job, y'all are you know, that aren't always fun projects to do. But taking the boxing ring down, putting it back up, taking three boxing rings for a tournament.

Speaker 4 36:31

Take a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a manual labor and it's work. It's not all. Yesterday I got to go out with SWAT, and I think yesterday got to about 115 outside. We're running, I'm running around, and we're uh we're doing simulations, so they have the sim rounds and their rifles. So I got a long sleeve on, a vest, and a full mask, and we're running through this house. And it was it was one of like those firehouses they and you know, no way anything, and I'm in there just sweating my butt off. And yeah, I know it was so fun though, and yeah, that's a bad example. I had fun yesterday. Yeah, you're talking about shop though a couple times, got a little some couple well. With zimrails, it's not an actual bullet. Yes, it does. Yes, no, it's like paintball. Yeah.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 37:13

No, but I've just had a I mean it's been great having you guys, and we're honestly gonna miss you guys. We really are doing this. Yeah, we you know we've set the bar really high for next summer when we hire new interns again. We gotta, you know, we gotta try and get somebody to match y'all's energy, your work ethic, and everything that goes along with that. So thank you. We we appreciate everything y'all have done. Yeah, and thank you guys. Yes, thank you guys for stopping here. You know, this time next year we're doing a follow-up. You know, Cody's now wearing an Allen Police badge, and uh maybe get you back in here one day in your DPS uniform. I told him one day.

Speaker 4 37:52

It's a couple years from now to do a part two to this.

Speaker 5 37:55

I just want to be on the on the oral board for the next interns. Think you got what it takes? I don't heard him with one of those.

Speaker 6 38:00

I've been through this.

Officer Sam Rippamonti 38:03

Jackson there too. Yeah, so we'll let you be in Jackson's Oil Board if he comes back next time. He'll start laughing. You're maybe laughing the whole time. Anyway, well, we appreciate it. So um, if you'd like to learn more about our intern program, you can check us out on our website, allenpolice.org. And make sure to like and subscribe. And if you have any comments, leave them down below. We'll see you next time. Bye, guys.