* PHOTOS* Massachusetts Association of Womenin Law Enforcement Holds Successful 2025 MAWLE and Me Summer Camp

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement (MAWLE) is pleased to share that this year’s MAWLE & Me Summer Camp was once again an exceptional success. 

About 25 middle school-age girls from the Boston area participated in this year’s MAWLE and Me Summer Camp which was held from Aug. 11-15 at the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association Hall in Dorchester.

The weeklong camp was coordinated by MAWLE members Sgt. Lauren Woods and Detective Sarah Palermo, both from the Boston Police Department. Reading Police Officer Lorrin Taliaferro, President of MAWLE Marie Cleary, Vice President of MAWLE Amyleigh DeVito, also assisted with several other members of MAWLE from Boston Police, Massachusetts State Police, Tyngsborough Police, New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN), Rehoboth Police, and the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)

The MAWLE and Me camp is designed to promote teamwork, confidence and communication for girls entering grade 6-8. Camp is full of activities that allow campers to meet and connect with law enforcement and criminal justice professionals from many different agencies across the state, and learned about public safety through field trips, presentations, and collaborative discussions.  

Monday

Campers participated in a variety of activities, including icebreakers, online safety presentations held by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security, a public relations seminar presented by representatives from John Guilfoil Public Relations, and Identity Theft Prevention presented by BFCU. Attendees also learned about defensive tactics from retired Boston Police Officer Darryl Owens.  

Tuesday:

Campers visited the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) at Logan International Airport, learning about the layout and operations of the airport. They then visited the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office with the Children’s Advocacy Center staff.  

Wednesday:  

Attendees had the opportunity to conduct a mock trial at Boston Municipal Court with Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons. The girls learned about how a court proceeding is conducted, the rules and regulations of the court, and took a tour of the building. They then visited the Boston FBI Office in Chelsea and met with the Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Milka.  The FBI CERT Team then led the girls through a mock crime scene and evidence collection.  That afternoon, the Boston Police Drone Unit and Officer Chris Goodman hosted a drone exercise where campers assisted in a search exercise to locate a missing individual at Pope John Paul II Park in Boston.  

Thursday: 

Campers and counselors leveled up their team-building skills through a visit to Level 99 in Natick. Here, participants were able to complete physical and mental challenges through communication, teamwork and skill.  

Friday: 

For the last day of camp, participants visited the Boston Police Department headquarters, where they toured the facility and learned about various units, including Operations and Video Evidence, followed by a virtual crime lab and ballistics video presentation. Campers also met Boston Police’s Comfort Dog Cooper and handler Officer Tim Wilson. 

During MAWLE and Me, campers inspired by their visit to Suffolk County DA’s Office participated in a stair climb in honor of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County’s “Ginormous Climb.” Campers, volunteer chaperones and Boston Police staff pushed themselves to the limit, climbing up and down four flights of stairs. The girls were encouraged to climb the four flights of stairs as many times as they could.  Many campers climbed the 4 flights 15 times, which would be the equivalent of climbing the 60 flights at the John Hancock Building. Some girls wanted to challenge themselves further and climbed 90 flights of stairs.  It was a tremendous effort by all of the girls. 

To conclude the last day, MAWLE and Boston Police hosted a Bota Fogo dance party, where the campers and counselors got to have a blast dancing and getting in some fun exercise at the same time.  They wrapped up the day with a visit from the Boston Police Department’s Ice Cream Truck. 

“The MAWLE and Me camp is an eye-opening experience to the plethora of opportunities that law enforcement and our judicial system partners offer for careers. The participants are exposed to team building, bonding and community collaborations every year. They find their voices, support one another and uplift us all with their excitement they bring each day,” said Sgt. Woods, who helped organize and run the camp. “As volunteers and organizers, we gain just as much as the girls do by being involved in this program. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for all of them. We know they have the inspiration and drive to explore their dreams, and we will be here to continue to help them achieve their goals. Being able to introduce them to current female leaders that have paved the way in their respective fields gives them the first-hand knowledge that anything is possible.”

At the conclusion of the camp, MAWLE received feedback from campers and parents. 

“I am happy I got this opportunity to participate in the camp. I enjoyed doing activities that I wouldn’t do on a regular day and making new friends throughout the week. I learned about different self-defense tactics, and I learned how to take care of a crime scene, so you don’t mess with the evidence. My favorite part was when we visited the court,” said a camper. 

“I loved hearing how they were encouraged to speak up when they didn’t agree with the majority in the mock jury. Speaking up and using their voices is a struggle at 12 and 13, programs like MAWLE and Me are such an excellent opportunity for girls to learn how to feel empowered and to believe that they can do whatever they set their minds too. I loved that it was focused on girls, it taught them so much about our great city and state, how important each department is and how strong women are such an important part of it,” said Shauna Cochrane, the parent of a camper.

“I love that Boston Police give this opportunity for young ladies to see what happens in the police world. Also, that they get to make different connections and meet Police officers who they can ask any professional questions about the career they may have should they be interested in law enforcement in the future. I was excited to hear about the different activities my daughter did and what she learned each day throughout the week,” said another parent, Belisa Rodrigues. 

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