User talk:MikeTraftNM

Greetings
Hello MikeTaftNM, I see that you have helped to edit a few Wikipedia article since your joining, and that you have join the law enforcement wiki-project. I was wondering if I could conduct an interview with you as the subject. If you are so inclined, you can leave a section on my talk page or email me at Samholt6@gmail.com.

I see that you are back online, and want to take you up on your offer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SamHolt6 (talk • contribs) 14:59, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

Hello again
Hello Sam, sorry about the delay. What types of questions would you like to ask me about my work?

Standard questions about your line of work, your education, etc. As you probably know I am a student and I require an interview with someone in the criminal justice sytsem. Would that kind of thing be all right. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SamHolt6 (talk • contribs) 18:51, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

Questions
Anything you ask i'll answer to the best of my ability.

Thank you. Can we switch over to an interview format in that case? I will make a new section at the bottom of your talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SamHolt6 (talk • contribs) 18:55, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

Interview
Sam: Thanks again, are you ready to begin?

I'm ready when you are.

Hold up i'll type my name in front next time, clear this up.

Sam: OK. What is your name and rank, and what do you do in relation to law enforcement. From your page I take it that you are a police officer?

Mike: My name is Michael Traft, and I am a senior officer of the City of Edgewood Police Department.

Sam: Were you educated for this role, and how long have you been on the service?

Mike: I went to Albuquerque Police Academy and later to the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy (class 61). I have been in the New Mexico Police Force for 27 years. I have been part of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety for 30 years. Before that I was a construction worker and then security officer in Albuquerque.

Mike: Sorry if it takes me too long to type.

Sam: Not a problem. How long have you been a member to the Edge wood Police Department?

Mike: Around 9 years.

Sam: OK. What are your day to day duties as a police officer? Any specifics would be helpful to me, I may be graded on that kind of thing.

Mike: I normally do work concerning traffic violations, domestic disturbances, thefts, robberies, and general L&O response calls. Highway (route) 40 runs by the city and we do alot of traffic stops on there and on the old highway.

Sam: Can you tell me more about the city of Edgewood and the crime situation there? Could I also get your jurisdiction formation?

Mike: We dont have alot of crime in the city of Edgewood, though we do have a decent amount in the adjacent communities. Edgewood has around a bought 4000 people living in it, but only around 1900 actually live in the city. Many of our new residents also commute into Albuquerque, which is about half and hour down the trail from us. We are part of the first police district of New Mexico (D-1) which has it's office in Santa Fe, but we do much more work with the City of Albuquerque Department and the state police than we do with Santa Fe. And anyways we report alot of our work to the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in Albuquerque. Edgewood also chips into Torrance County so we work with those folks on a regular basis as well.

Sam: Alright.

Sam: What is the most common type of crime in Edgewood?

Mike: Most common committed or most common stopped?

Sam: Most common you have to deal with.

Mike: Like I said before, we deal with a ton of traffic violations on route 40, but other than those domestic disturbances are the most common. Weve also got a Walmart in town that seedy characters tend to hang out around, so we get calls every so often from them. We have robberies and carjackings every now and then, but thats mostly out in the countryside and not on the city. We also run alot of supplementary operations with the Sheriffs department and the state police.

Sam: Sorry if im taking too much of your time, tell me if we are running out. Anyway, what are the supplementary operations? Do you work with the federal government at all?

Mike: We are good for now, no need to worry. We call cases where we deploy with ATF or the state police supplementary operations. They normally ask us to lend them some of our manpower, and we get called out to help the state police pull cars off of route 40 every now and then. Sometimes the federal government will ask us to help out in drug interdiction operations. We also get a few calls from the park service at Sandia Park if they need one of our officers help. I got called over there one time to disarm a poacher at one of the trailheads. The Moriarty Department down the road cooperates with us and vice versa.

Sam: Do you detain many illegal immigrants?

Mike: Not as many as you may think for New Mexico. Most traffickers move their people around us strait up to Santa Fe or west of us through Albuquerque, though we do get a few.

Sam: How large is your department? Don't worry, just a few more questions.

Mike: Currently we sit at 36 officers with 12 patrol cars. Some of our people are part time though.

Sam: Say I wanted to become an officer in your department. What qualifications would i need to be considered for the job?

Mike: We would be happy to have you! You would need to live in Edgewood, but its a nice town. I could get back to you in detail on what our qualifiers are, but we like to see candidates who know the state laws and have gone to the state academy or one of its satellite schools.

Sam: Do you have to deal with juvenile delinquents at all in the course of your work? My class is a juvenile criminality course.

Mike: Every now and then we do. Mostly we have runaways who end up in town, but we also have petty criminals to deal with sometimes. The state of New Mexico has a few programs that they use to assist the kids. Most of the delinquents we keep in the municipal court rather than send up to the county court in Santa Fe. Less paperwork that way. Im no expert, but most of the juveniles end up in the juvenile penitentiary in Santa Fe or in Albuquerque.

Sam: How long do you work each day?

Mike: I normally work from about 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM, but I live north of town and am on call at practically any hour of the day. If one of the guys calls me in ill drive to the scene in my civilian vehicle.

Sam: Does your career effect your family or social life?

Mike: Ive been an officer off and on for the past 30 years of my life. I love my job more than any other job I have ever had. Many people in Edgewood see me as Officer Mike. I worked in Albuquerque for several years, but im more accustomed to Edgewood now. I feel respected, and I respect the people of my community. In our country today some police officers do not get the respect they deserve.

Sam: Ok, that's everything. Could I get your contact information? Just provide what you feel comfortable with.

Mike: You can reach me at any time here on Wikipedia. My name is Michael Traft, and my email is mtraft64@gmail.com. Thank you for conducting this interview in such a professional manner, Sam.

Sam: Not a problem. Sorry if I went over time and didn't finish by 4:00. Thanks.

Mike: Ha it's 2:42 here we run on Mountain Time.

Sam: Oh yeah, right timezones. Thank you for your time and service sir.

Mike: Anytime. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SamHolt6 (talk • contribs) 19:43, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by SamHolt6 (talk • contribs) 19:15, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

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