OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Monday, December 16, 2019, 3 p.m.

Belle Chasse, LA - In order to earn a degree and become a criminal investigator in Germany, students are required to complete a three week internship with a law enforcement agency. The majority of students conduct their mandated internship in country, but Johanna Wipperfϋrth was selected to travel to the United States of America after being granted permission by Sheriff Gerald A. Turlich, Jr. to intern with the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office (PPSO).

On November 18, 2019, Wipperfϋrth began the internship with PPSO where she split her time experiencing different aspects of the department that included criminal patrol, criminal investigations, SWAT training, narcotics investigations, marine patrol, aviation patrol, community policing and corrections. On December 7, 2019, Wipperfϋrth returned to Frankfurt, Germany and will complete a thesis based on how police operations differ in the United States from Germany.

"Ich hatte eine groβartige zeit mit dem Sheriff's Office. Ich bekam einen guten ūberblick ūber die Arbeit der Polizei in den USA," said Wipperfϋrth. "Vielen Dank fύr die Mύhe, jeder war sehr nett. Ich werde die zeit niemals vergessen!" Although Wipperfϋrth is proficient speaking English and Spanish, she was excited to express her experience with PPSO in German. "I had a really great time with the Sheriff's Office. I got a good overview of the work of the police in the USA. Thank you for all the support. Everybody was very nice and I will never forget the time!"

"It was a pleasure having Johanna join us and experience all that PPSO has to offer as she embarks on the journey of being a police officer," said Sheriff Turlich. "I hope she learned as much from us as we did from her in order to maximize our ability to better serve our citizens. Johanna will always have a home with the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office."

Wipperfϋrth is scheduled to graduate in July of 2020 after studying three years at the Hessische Hochschule fϋr Polizei und Verwaltung University of Applied Sciences. With it being her first time in the United States, Wipperfϋrth explained her favorite part of the trip was her experience trying the local cuisine especially boiled crabs and charbroiled oysters.

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Contact Information:
Lieutenant Chaun J. Domingue
Public Information Officer
Office: 504-934-6785
cdomingue@ppso.net