In its second year of operation, the University Police Department (UPD) internship program has become a compelling opportunity among Long Beach State’s criminal justice students.
Organized and operated under the direction of Community Engagement Officer Natassaja Dolgorouky, the UPD’s program hires three to five students each semester to earn internship credit and gain experience in law enforcement.
“Our program consists of shadowing our UPD personnel, so they will shadow detectives when they go to court and the (district attorney) office,” Dolgorouky said. “They also shadow our clinical counselors who respond to mental health calls on campus and our dispatchers.”
For spring 2024, the criminal justice interns include Angel Patlan, Amanda Abler, Gibson Colchado, Chelsea Garcia, Christopher Ball-Whitfield and social media intern Caolin Letellier. These five students were chosen from 75 applicants, according to Dolgorouky.
“What stood out the most was their reasons for wanting it,” Dolgorouky said. “We wanted people who were interested in law enforcement where we can be a stepping stone for them to reach their future goals.”
Senior criminal justice major Angel Patlan said he was surprised when he was offered the internship position.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. My voice was probably shaking the whole interview,” Patlan said.
Senior Amanda Abler shared similar feelings and said the application felt like a long shot.
“I remember just being at dinner with my friends and getting the email that I got it and I was so stoked,” Abler said.
Since being hired, the interns have had the opportunity to shadow UPD personnel on the job by going on ride-alongs and touring the local jailhouse. Many of the interns are interested in pursuing law enforcement after graduation.
Patlan said his favorite part of the internship is being able to talk with other police officers.
“They all have a duty to serve the community and that’s something I’ve been grasping and trying to learn,” Patlan said.
A large part of the internship’s focus is giving students the chance to network with people in law enforcement, said Dolgorouky.
“We want them to see all sides and facets of law enforcement so they can make a decision after this,” Dolgorouky said. “It’s really good to have a lot of references who are in law enforcement because it shows a lot about your character.”
As an intern, Abler said having the experience to connect with personnel is invaluable.
“I didn’t grow up in a law enforcement background so getting the opportunity to talk to other officers and listen to their experience has opened up a whole new world,” Abler said.
The internship program is one of the steps the UPD has recently taken to open up the department to the community, inviting more transparency and collaboration. Dolgoruky hopes the internship program helps the UPD connect with the larger student body.
“I’ll ask my current interns what’s going on in the campus community because they hear about it firsthand,” Dolgoruky said. “It’s good to have fresh eyes that see things we don’t on a daily basis and I want to open those doors.”