Internship (Spring) - Police

An intern can expect to experience the daily functions of almost all of the various positions within the Bloomington Police Department. As police work is dynamic and unpredictable, no two internship experiences will be alike. We have created a program that will give you the most realistic and unvarnished look at what the career of a Bloomington police officer entails. We view this internship not just as a learning experience for you, but a recruitment opportunity for our department. We hope to make this as enjoyable and enriching and experience as possible. This list may not include all tasks and/or knowledge which may be expected of the employee, nor does it cover all specific duties which may be required. Other duties may be assigned.

Patrol Division:

The backbone of any police department is the patrol division. The majority of your time will be spent on ride-along's with a variety of patrol officers on all three patrol shifts. An intern will get to see firsthand all the types of calls that police in our city respond to, from loud music or parking complaints, but also to the most intense and dramatic calls like domestic violence, robbery and homicide calls. Criminal Investigative Division (CID): Learn how detectives investigate cases and interview victims/witnesses/suspects. Crime Scene Unit (CSU): Learn how various crime scenes are processed (photographing, collecting evidence, fingerprint/shoe wear analysis) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT): Observe a SWAT training day. Learn how they formulate safe plans for various dangerous situations. You will oftentimes be asked to volunteer for some role-playing for this training. Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU): Learn how they plan for barricaded subjects, hostage situations, suicidal subjects, etc. You will oftentimes be asked to volunteer for some role-playing for this training as well. Community Engagement Unit (CEU): Learn the various methods we use and events we create or attend to develop or initiate strong relationships with various groups in the community. K-9

Unit:

Spend a day with the K-9s as they train. You may be asked to help with some role-playing for this training as well.

Dispatch:

Learn how dispatchers handle the difficult job of taking the various citizen calls for service, deciphering the information and then sending out the pertinent information out to the officers, firefighters and EMS.

Chiefs:

Spend a day with the administration office to learn what it takes to be a chief and the work that entails. You will also attend a city council meeting to see the chief answering to the council and public.

Application Procedure :

Your first step should be to contact your university's internship coordinator who will guide you through the process and ensure you are eligible for our program. Through your coordinator, you will then submit an application for our internship position, listing your academic and extracurricular achievements and references. You should include any other achievements and/or skills which you think may help your chances. After we have received the applications, our intern coordinator will schedule in-person interviews at BPD.

Minimum Age:

18