A Police Intern is a college student working as a non-paid volunteer for the Washington State University Police Department. Interns work with commissioned police professionals who provide supervision, training, and direction. Interns perform their duties under the general authority of the Public Safety Director at the Washington State University Police Department.
Interns will be expected to engage in a minimum of eighteen (18) duty hours per month. Hours may include, but are not limited to, special and sporting events, training, special assignments, meetings, and unplanned call-outs. Eight (8) of the eighteen (18) hours must be ride-along hours with either WSU Police or an outside agency with prior approval.
Meetings will be scheduled at least once per month, with the day determined at least one week in advance. There will also be at least one scheduled training per month. Due to the demands and skills required of the law enforcement field, all training sessions and meetings are very important, and are essential to the Interns’ success and safety as an Intern. Because of this, all meetings and training sessions are absolutely mandatory.
The Intern is a support person without regular police arrest powers. Duties may include functions normally assigned to an officer, except the responsibility for general authority to arrest criminal offenders. Duties normally assigned include traffic direction, crowd control, security at crime scenes, or investigation. Interns may also participate in foot and bike patrol, and may also accompany a commissioned law enforcement officer, from participating agencies, on patrol ride-alongs.
Intern responsibility will normally be limited to observing and reporting. The Intern will not take enforcement action except in those situations which would afford citizens the authority to effect a citizen’s arrest of a person suspected of committing a criminal act, or at the direction of a police officer.
Although interns are not used in place of law enforcement personnel, they can supplement them. Interns can free officers so that they may concentrate on the most important aspects of their jobs. Utilizing interns to their full potential can bring savings in staffing levels within the department.
