Tatum King has always seen her community as a top priority. As an honors criminology major with three minors (Spanish, national security and foreign affairs, and peace studies and social justice), her workload is heavy, but she hasn’t let it get in the way of opportunities to help. That’s what led her to an internship with the Blacksburg Police Department. 

“Through my position as a property and evidence technician, I became hands-on involved in my town because of the knowledge I was required to learn regarding people, locations, and processes,” King said.

She was able to learn more about her environment on a personal and professional level.  King went into the role wondering if she was ready for the intensity the job required. She knew it would be a lot of work on top of her heavy courseload, and it made her worry about being able to sustain her relationships with family and friends during this time. She found she was wrong. 

“The internship ended up strengthening my relationships, because I valued the time with those around me more,” King said. “I was able to apply skills from my job to my personal and educational life, and vice versa.” 

She did find herself navigating new challenges as well.  

“Being introduced to crime, especially in your own community, can impact your mental health unless you take advantage of the resources available to help you,” King said. 

Luckily, she found the officers she worked with had helpful advice to get her through more stressful situations.  

“Many of the BPD officers explained to me that finding something to ground you allows you to clear your head," King said. "In my experience, learning to separate my personal feelings from the cases I handled allowed me to navigate the difficult situations I encountered."

King developed new skills that surprised her when she was leading a forensics presentation for high school students. She wasn’t a fan of public speaking before.  

“I ended up loving the briefing I gave because of the interest others showed in what I had to say," she said. "I felt like I was making a difference and contributing to the future."

This experience ended up being her favorite throughout her internship. 

She does say that she would make stronger connections with the people she worked with if she could do it all over again.  

“I was scared to build personal relationships because I knew my time there would be short lived," she said. "Consequently, I found myself keeping my relationships formal and wish I got to know my coworkers better."

King advises anyone in an internship to not miss out on these connections because they can carry on after the semester is over. 

King feels this was an experience that taught her what she wants from a future career.  

“I was able to learn what I enjoyed and what my strengths were through this internship,” King said. “I think the opportunity taught me that I want a hands-on investigatory position, one that focuses on the crime scene rather than the evidence processing room.”  

Would she recommend the job to everyone? Probably not.  

“I think it is important that the individual has the stomach for some of the cases they will encounter, especially given that they may know the perpetrator or victim,” King said. 

For those who can handle it, King said the experience provides many unique opportunities.  

“I would recommend this internship to anyone interested in forensic science (I got to dust for fingerprints, use luminol to identify blood, learn to use chemicals to determine specifics of a bullet hole, etc.) who thrives in organizational, technological, and communication skills,” King said.

King had a great time and learned a lot, but she already misses being part of a team.  

“There were so many components working together, making sure cases are handled accurately,” King explained. “From the lab in Roanoke to the patrol cops, detectives, and administrators, the group I interned with was efficient, hard-working, and motivated, accomplishing so many important tasks on a daily basis.”  

The internship may be over, but King will apply these lessons to her future endeavors.  

“I ultimately strengthened my organizational, project management, and communication skills while learning new ones in public speaking, computer analytics, and the criminal justice system as a whole,” King said. 

All these skills will be useful to her as she finishes her criminology major and enters the workforce. 

King credits the sociology department’s consistent and thorough communication for helping her discover the internship and truly appreciated the department for informing her about the opportunity. Anyone interested in applying to similar opportunities can learn more on the internship page of the department’s website and by reaching out to Donna Sedgwick.