Tomas Cottingham, a senior majoring in criminal justice sciences and minoring in sociology at Illinois State University, recently completed his summer internship with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement, commonly known as the Conservation Police. This summer internship helped him refine his understanding of law enforcement and outline his career plans.

“When applying for the internship, I was intrigued by the concept of law enforcement officers working with and for scientists and by the fact that a duty of the Conservation Police to their creed is to educate the public about the importance of our natural resources and their protection,” Cottingham said. “Overall, it stuck out to me as a very noble career to explore.”  

During his internship, Cottingham was involved in a variety of hands-on activities that took him on the state’s waterways and land.

“My main responsibility was to assist officers working their shifts,” Cottingham said. “I was on the river involved in everything from illegal fishing enforcement to inspecting boats, even using a sonar to locate illegal equipment. No two days were the same; every shift was a completely different experience with new opportunities to learn.”

Cottingham said that being on the water was one of the best aspects of the internship, traveling the rivers and channels of Illinois, watching wildlife like bald eagles nesting, and removing big carp from the waters.

The experience gave Cottingham great insight into the role law enforcement has in environmental conservation and community safety, including how important regulations on hunting and fishing are in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

The classes at Illinois State prepared him well for the hands-on component of the internship.

“My course work regarding law, constitutional rights, the courts, and policing strategies was extremely helpful,” he said.

Cottingham’s advice for other students is to follow their interests and not settle.

“I would recommend very broadly trying to apply to whatever you’re passionate about,” he said. “It can be difficult to apply, interview, and get accepted into certain programs, but it’s worth the work to be able to get the most out of it.”

Reflecting on his summer experience, Cottingham summarized his experience as “lively.”

“Almost every day was a different experience, different problems, different places, different people,” he said. “It was a lot of moving and a lot of new things to experience.”