Son of Sam's terrifying reignWhy one of New York's darkest moments interests me

By MARIA ARIAS

BHSB Journalism Student

“The Son of Sam” is an infamous American serial killer, who was convicted of shootings that began in New York City during the summer of 1976. He used a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver to kill six victims and wound seven others by July 1977. Police eventually learned that the Son of Sam was named David Berkowitz, born in 1953. During his killing spree, he left letters that mocked the police.

The years in which the Son of Sam operated were long before I was born. His crimes send a chill down anyone’s spine. Though we would never want to see someone like the Son of Sam do again what he did, working on his case was surely an amazing challenge.

It is my professional goal is to be a detective or to be an agent with the FBI. Being a detective attracts me because I love action. Detectives have a lot of resources that enable them to be very active as they try to solve crimes. The force would issue me with a gun, and when a crime is committed, I would help investigate it. We would try to identify what the person looks like, and how he or she has committed the crime, and why.

Arias: FBI badge represents action

Detectives also interview people. My father has a friend who is a police officer. I plan to interview him so he can give me some information and I can learn from it. I have researched about the profession and learned that there is a program that you can enter that offers many opportunities for advancement.

Knowing this makes me even more enthusiastic because officers may specialize in aviation, emergency services, highway patrol, crime-scene investigation, detective work, and more. Action and crimes are why I love the career.
   

Police officer

  

Being a detective pays around $100,000 for beginners, but first you have to be a regular police officer. As time passes, the pay increases.

FBI Special Agents in training are provided with salaries of federal workers who earn $43,441 per year in addition to a special salary adjustment of $7,602 for the year. Training is only for about 21 weeks.

At high school, I like science because that is connected with my goal of being a detective or an FBI agent. If I take science or journalism here in school, I will have a better understanding of the job, and learn important facts about law, justice, and other subjects linked to law enforcement.

Being originally from the Dominican Republic and, therefore, Spanish speaking, I also need to be proficient in English. That’s the key to the United States. I need to put my effort into learning more and more every day. What I like about my choice is that I constantly learn new strategies, and how to develop my knowledge and my way of thinking. Further, I know I must also have a growth mindset, so I can achieve my goal and have success in life.

Finally, I want to become a professional so I can help my mother someday. It will be a time in which she cannot work any more, and she will depend on myself and my other sister. We would give her all she needs - just as she is doing right now as a mother for us.

Arias: Detective ambition

Maria Arias arrived from Dominican Republic in July 2012. She is determined to achieve her goals of going to college and becoming a professional. Her additional dream is to visit countries like Australia, Egypt and Italy to learn about those countries’ traditions and cultures. She is especially looking forward to tasting the food in those countries.