The internship program here is Growth Through Opportunity. We partner with Empowerment Through Inclusion for the program here. That we get to bring people into the police department who might not normally have that opportunity is really important because, you know, a lot of times government is something that a lot of people don't get exposed to, and to have that experience I think for a lot of people can be invaluable.

Empower Inclusion gave a presentation on this program and how they've done it at different departments throughout the Metro, and I thought for sure that some of that here in Bloomington, we wanna join in and be a part of.

My name is Paola Wiechmann. So I'm the Job Coach. I just hang out with the cadets all the time. Just make sure they're okay. If they need any support or assistance in any of the job tasks, I've been here for them. This is actually my third year doing it. I started with Chaska, so I just love this program too much 'cause I know how good it's for the people that we support.

My favorite part of timing is everything, such as the police station, fireman station, waterproof I've been learning. Show me around for the first time ever and I've never been to the police car before. I've been learning some skills about everything, including the fireman, to make sure to stay away, make sure in case there's a fire emergency.