A Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School student got a taste of what it might be like to conduct a traffic stop as a Massachusetts State Trooper this week.

As police departments around the Commonwealth are scrambling to find young people who are interested in dedicating their life to police work, one student at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech won't need any convincing when he becomes old enough to go to the police academy.

Courtesy Massachusetts State Police
Courtesy Massachusetts State Police
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Dominic Dos Santos is currently taking criminal justice courses and aspires to one day work in law enforcement. In order to get some more hands-on experience rather than simply studying lessons out of a textbook, Dominic reached out to Community Action Team liaisons at the Massachusetts State Police for a chance to gain some more experience.

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According to the Mass State Police, part of Dominic’s criminal justice curriculum is the "finer details of motor vehicle stops." Trooper Nate Montiero, of the Recruitment and Diversity Office, Troopers Michael Pacheco and Jessie Barbosa of the Troop D Community Action Team, and Trooper Aaron Richardson of the Troop H Community Action Team took the ride over to GNB Voc-Tech to help create a series of mock motor vehicle stops that would give Dominic some field experience in a controlled environment. The goal was to familiarize him with the different methods, techniques, and scenarios Troopers may encounter on the road.

Trooper Michael Pacheco told Fun 107 that although he only met the 16-year-old for a short amount of time, he was impressed by his eagerness and willingness to learn.

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