German intern Ivonne Scholdra will complete the Evanston Police Internship Program in about a week, according to an EPD news release issued Wednesday. Scholdra joined the program in January as part of her training to become a police officer in Germany’s Hessen region.

The 24-year-old, now enrolled in the German Police Academy, had the option of interning in Germany or abroad, according to the news release. Scholdra’s time in Evanston marks her first visit to the United States.

In the news release, Police Chief Richard Eddington said he welcomes foreign law enforcement recruits in the internship program, which usually draws Chicago-area college students pursuing careers in criminal justice.

Eddington said foreign police recruits who intern for EPD are exposed to issues in a metropolitan area of North America, adding the experience also opens lines of communication between foreign and domestic law agencies.

Scholdra selected the EPD due to the positive experience another German police recruit had there last year, according to the news release. She will complete her police training in July after taking the police academy’s final exam.

Following the exam, Scholdra’s will become a “Polizei Kommissar,” the English equivalent of a police lieutenant.

– Kimberly Railey