Intern Hannah Gordon stands next to her lieutenant, Tim Klingelhofer. Gordon, a Bellefontaine Ohio Hi-Point criminal justice student, started working for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office in May. (EXAMINER PHOTO | SHARYN KOPF)
She’s quiet, reserved and a good listener, commendable qualities for someone planning to go into law enforcement. But Hannah Gordon is also determined, which helped her win an internship with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in May.
Gordon, a Bellefontaine Ohio Hi-Point criminal justice student, has wanted to join the thin blue line since childhood. And, according to her lieutenant, Tim Klingelhofer, she has a knack for it.
“I’m confident she could be full-time now,” he said, “but we’d like to wait until she’s out of school so she can focus on her grades.”
According to Klingelhofer, the sheriff’s office is often on the lookout for intern candidates, which is why they reached out to the law enforcement lab at OHP. It’s another way to find young people who want to join the field.
Gordon is now on-track to become a full-time corrections officer. Toward that end, she’s being trained in the daily operations of working at the jail—actions such as book in, book out, court paperwork, and central control operation, which monitors the doors of the whole building.
“I like it,” Gordon said. “The people most definitely but also the job overall. It’s what I’ve wanted to do.”
Upon graduating in May 2024, Gordon will move into her full-time position at the sheriff’s office. Eventually, this will require her to attend the peace officer training academy in London, Ohio. And though she’s currently certified to use a taser, Gordon won’t receive firearm training until she gets to the academy.
But the most important training is understanding the environment of working at a county jail. “These people don’t want to be here,” Klingelhofer explained. “It’s a hard sell to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do. And it’s our job to get them to cooperate with the least force possible.
“It’s commendable that Hannah wants to do this so young. She’s thrown herself into the fire.”
The internship program at the LCSO is open to applicants 18 years and older. And though they’re mainly looking at OHP’s criminal justice students, other local schools can contact the department and, Klingelhofer said, “We’ll see what we can do for them.”