Investigative Asst. Internship - unpaid

 

ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

The URL for the investigative assistant internship is: 

http://sites.arlingtonva.us/policejobs/investigative-assistant-intern/

The investigative assistant internship allows the interns to work their own cases (larceny, harassment, assault and battery, threats, etc) while deciding what course of action is needed, and performing a follow-up investigation of that case.  The interns will contact witnesses and victims via phone, and interview them appropriately.  They may need to contact businesses or other establishments, and ask for surveillance videos, or customer entry logs, etc.  The interns are expected to have excellent note taking skills, and are required to document every action taken during this investigative process.  Once all leads have been exhausted, the intern will type up a formal supplement report, and present this, any evidence, and their original case notes to the assigned detective.  The assigned detective will then decide if there is enough information/evidence to proceed criminally.  This will be the primary function of the intern during their time with us. 

Once an intern has proven him/herself as reliable, and has earned the trust and respect of the detectives, they will be asked to perform other tasks as well.  These tasks include listening to jail calls, organizing cases, calling witnesses or victims of violent offenses etc.  Additionally, an intern may be asked to become part of the cold case or auto crimes team, and thus be actively involved in those internship aspects.  Furthermore, the intern will have the opportunity to accompany detectives to an actual crime scene.

The deadline for the Fall Term is July 1, Spring Term is October 1 and Summer Term is March 1.   

There is a 20-hour per week minimum requirement.  During the intern’s first few weeks of training, they work under the supervision of the intern coordinator.  After the intern coordinator is comfortable that the intern can work independently, he/she may set their own schedule.  The detectives work between 6 am and 11 pm, however interns are not required to work those hours.  Interns are not permitted to work on weekends. 

We have accepted interns from Marymount University, The George Washington University, American University, George Mason University, The University of Maryland, Catholic University, etc.  We take on between 3 - 6 students per semester (depending on how many students are invited to stay another semester), and give preference to graduate students in criminal justice, law, or forensic related fields.  We do consider undergraduate seniors in criminal justice programs on a case by case basis.  We do not consider applicants who have already graduated.

This internship exposes the interns to sensitive information so the application process requires numerous steps.  First, applicants submit their applications, essays, resumes, school IDs and transcripts.  All applications are reviewed at one time after the deadline.  If selected, an interview is scheduled.  Once all interviews are complete, a decision is made as to which applicants will proceed to the background stage of the process.  If selected, a background packet is sent to the applicant.  The applicant then fills out the background packet, and returns it to our department.  A background investigation is then conducted, and if the applicant passes, a polygraph is scheduled.  If the applicant passes the polygraph exam, they may then be offered a position within our internship program.