Expert: Eric Potts - 2/9/2009

Question
Hello,

I am currently in a well-known community college in the Metro Detroit area that is highly respected for their Criminal Justice program. As of now, I am in my first year of classes to become a police officer. The availability of jobs in Michigan is one of the highest in the country, and it's really hard to even find an interview, even with a qualified resume.

I would like to get started and gain some experience in my career pathway while I am still in college, but I do not really know where to start looking. A couple officers I have talked to said to ask their police department if there are any internship programs, but most of them do not have any in place yet.

I am a very flexible person when it relates to what my skills are in the workplace, but I wouldn't know what to ask or where to look for these types of potential entry-level or partnership jobs with a local police force or something similar.

I'm already in shape, and very strong physically, as I go to the gym every other day to focus on weight training.

What I am basically trying to ask is what I can do now, while I'm in college taking classes for criminal justice, to allow myself to be more prepared as well as obtain a meaningful job that relates to my career.

If you know of any positions, opportunities, or programs that I could check into or talk to the departments about, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Answer
Rick,

Check in the area and see if any of the Departments participate in VIPS (Volunteers in Police Services), if they do Volunteer to get involved in things within the department. These jobs may be helping to file, or assisting with event planning, etc...while it may not sound glamorous it is a step in the right direction and a foot in the door.

You might also want to see if any local department has a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) this is a program developed by the Government after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that trains citizens on how to respond in emergency situations and activates them to assist Police when a situation calls for it.

Good Luck.