Programs

College Intern Program

The Port Angeles Police Department, working in collaboration with Peninsula College in Port Angeles and other accredited colleges in the United States and abroad, has established a college intern program to assist students who are in the process of obtaining undergraduate and graduate education. Internships are a field practicum designed to relate the student's classroom studies with occupational and work experiences. Interns are typically required to perform a minimum of 250 hours work with the Police Department during the course of their internship. They can earn from 5 to 12 credit hours toward their degree, depending on their institution and program.

Application to the Intern Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited institution, including criminal justice and business students from Peninsula College. The intern applicant must be of good character and in good standing with their college or university.

All intern applicants are required to complete and submit a Port Angeles Police Department application and be fingerprinted and photographed. The deputy chief of police and administrative sergeant will interview applicants who successfully complete the required background investigation. They will make a recommendation to the chief of police for final review.

Although the interns provide assistance to the department as volunteers and enjoy a learning opportunity from working closely with department personnel, they are not law enforcement personnel and are not treated as such. Interns will be given specific work projects and assignments consistent with their program of study and skills.

Interns assigned to the Records Division may, for example, learn and practice computer skills related to entry of police records. Interns may be assigned to the Patrol Division, the Detective Division, the Records Division, the Communications Division, or Administration. They may attend City Council meetings and meetings of the Law Enforcement Advisory Board. Interns typically compile and edit the department mid-year and year end reports. Some interns have been assigned long-term projects in the Detective Division and in Administration. Interns may be afforded the opportunity to work in other departments or divisions of the city government.

Past Police Department interns have come from as far as Germany, and from public colleges and universities in Washington and Oregon. Prior student interns had courses of study that included criminal justice, public administration, business, and law.

The purpose of the Port Angeles Police Department Student Intern Program is to provide the students a quality learning experience while they perform valuable work within the department. Interested students can contact Chief of Police Brian Smith by email or by phone at 360-417-4901. Alternatively, you can contact Deputy Chief Jason Viada at 360-912-0106.