For most students, witnessing burglaries, shootings or drug busts is highly unusual — but for two Ohio University seniors, it’s a way to earn college credit.
During the past four years, 26 aspiring police officers have suited up in uniform while taking part in internships at the Athens County Sheriff’s Office.
The semester-long internship program is open to high school and college students, who use it to gain between five and 15 hours of college credit, Sheriff Pat Kelly said.
“What happens is that many of the interns feel that they want to go into this field in the future,” Kelly said. “A number of the students have gone on to be law enforcement officers.”
For Ben Taylor, an OU senior studying sociology and criminology, the opportunity to gain real-world experience while taking college classes was too sweet to refuse.
“I really started learning about the job after I graduated from the (police) academy,” Taylor said. “There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom that you can apply to real life. This is my classroom, because it is my real-life atmosphere.”
Taylor and Kevin Brantley, another OU senior who is studying sociology, criminology and political science, are the office’s current interns, but their experiences have been different. Taylor has been an intern for almost a year, and Brantley has been there for just more than a week.
Though Brantley has not developed the internship resumé Taylor has, he is eager to work alongside trained officers.
“I’ve only been out with these guys one day, but I’ve already gotten a feel about what it’s like to be in the trenches and seeing how law enforcement is dealt with on a person-to-person basis versus in theory,” Brantley said. “I’m just excited to see the application of my textbook knowledge rather than just the theory of it all.”
The office typically accepts up to two or three interns each semester, Captain Bryan Cooper said.
“It’s hard for us to say no to a student who comes into the office and says they really need the work,” he said. “We always try and find a way.”
Cooper coordinates the internships at the sheriff’s office and also works closely with OU to find interested students. Professors refer students to Cooper, then candidates go through an interview process before being chosen for the internship.
Students interested in becoming law enforcement officers are also required to attend the five-month Sheriff’s Police Academy, where they gain knowledge of the job before working in the field.
Reserve Deputy Sam DeSaia, a 2011 OU graduate, completed the academy and now works at the Athens County Sheriff’s Office and encourages students to attend the programs available.
“Instead of me going to college for four years and graduating, then getting certified six months after that, I’m already doing this while I’m in school,” DeSaia said. “The great thing about this academy is that I was a student right here, taking my classes, and by the time I graduated, I was already mostly finished with my police officer’s basic training.”
Kelly advised students looking to gain experience in the law enforcement field to apply for the internship as a resumé builder.
“Some interns have gone on drug busts, some have gone on shootings and burglaries and sometimes (interns) work with detectives in the office,” he said.
“They’re always eager to help out.”
az346610@ohiou.edu
