Bridget O'Toole '11 spent her summer handling forfeiture and nuisance abatement actions with the New York Police Department's Civil Enforcement Unit. On a daily basis, she worked with attorneys and police officers to draft motions, prepare settlements, research laws and cases and work with defendants.
"The NYPD is probably the most unique internship experience that I or anyone I know has ever had," she said. "I love that I get to do and see things throughout the city that many New Yorkers will never get to experience."
"It's a very hands on internship from day one and is not for the weak of heart," she said.
O'Toole, who grew up in Hilton, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, considered attending law school at an early age.
"I used to tell everyone that I wanted to be an actress, but would go to law school in case that didn't pan out," she recalled. "As I got older, I came to realize that Rochester isn't a big recruiting area for up and coming actresses, so maybe I should pursue the law degree."
O'Toole has also interned with the New York State Liquor Authority and the Real Property Division of the state Attorney General's office, and she has worked with Professor Paul Finkelman as a research assistant. She graduated from the University of Albany with a history degree in 2008, completing the program in three years instead of the typical four.
She plans to submit her resume for a position with the NYPD as she approaches graduation this spring.