Paid Internships in Conservation Law Enforcement

By Captain Phil Johnson

For the past several years, Washington state has finished last in law enforcement staffing, lagging behind all 50 states and the District of Columbia at 1.35 police officers per thousand residents. This number continues to decline as the State’s population increases and fewer individuals demonstrate an interest in pursuing criminal justice career pathways. There are many factors negatively influencing the declining interest in criminal justice professions among eligible job seekers, and candidates in the contemporary political race for Governor are all claiming they will make law enforcement staffing a priority if they are elected. With this information in mind, our problem statement is more complicated because recruiting quality police officer candidates is difficult enough and especially problematic for law enforcement agencies with unconventional public safety missions.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police is a very unique organization charged with ensuring the overall protection and conservation of our State’s natural resources. Traditionally referred to as ‘Game Wardens’ or ‘Game Agents’, WDFW Police have a legacy of being the only law enforcement agency that focuses specifically on laws governing hunting, fishing, habitat protection, and dangerous wildlife incidents. They have the broadest authority of any law enforcement entity in Washington and also carry limited Federal police commissions to enforce certain national laws and regulations related to conservation. But, consistent with other police agencies in our State, declining job applications and qualified candidates were negatively impacting staffing, necessitating a revamp of recruiting tactics and outreach strategies. It is not easy to find a candidate who is interested in both being a law enforcement officer and also possesses a background in hunting and fishing. Enter the paid internship.

Facing the challenge of fewer qualified candidates for an increasing number of police officer staffing vacancies, the WDFW Police instituted a paid internship program in 2018 targeting students who were either Juniors or Seniors in college and whose educational focus was oriented toward criminal justice or an environmental/social science. Believing that advanced education is an essential attribute of public service, WDFW Police is among the few agencies who require at least 60 semester hours of post high school education to qualify as an Officer job candidate. The WDFW Police internship deliberately recruits college juniors and seniors who are hired as Administrative Trainees and are then assigned to WDFW law enforcement offices around the state where they work in support of Police operations. It may be as simple as ensuring boats and vehicles are fueled and maintained or as complex as working as a deck hand during a coastal commercial fishery compliance patrol.  Interns will be assigned to work traffic control points at wildfires, learn how to operate specialty vehicles, participate in defensive tactics, respond to human-wildlife incidents, and go on multiple ride-alongs with officers. Some Interns will stay on throughout the year in a part time capacity as they finish their college studies and others will return to school in the Fall after working through the Summer. Depending on the school they are attending, the Internship can be used for college credits in a “Work Experience” arrangement. The internship strategy has become an essential staffing tool that helps resolve workload challenges and develops the next generation of WDFW Police Officers. Since inception, WDFW internships have resulted in the hiring of a Management Analyst, an Equipment Technician, and eight WDFW commissioned Police Officers.

The investment in a paid internship program cannot be overstated. The ability to hire college students into jobs that have meaningful work with a focus on training them for the career they want to pursue leads to extremely high career satisfaction and job performance outcomes for both the participant and our agency. The lesser obvious, but most important advantage, is the opportunity to influence the adoption of the WDFW culture by mentoring our core values, vision, and direction at the very threshold of the Intern’s career trajectory. But where does the money come from?

The news media will occasionally report on how various metropolitan police departments are trying to recruit more officers by offering thousands of dollars in hiring bonuses, paying for household moves, and other financial incentives. As a State agency, WDFW is not in a position to compete with those benefits and must be creative to find/develop candidate pools for recruitment. By taking a small portion of operating budget and using it to fund the hiring of Interns, the investment in developing human capital is paying out at a much higher rate of return than any bonus or monetary incentive.  We have found that students want to participate in meaningful work that helps them get oriented toward success in their chosen profession. Additionally, WDFW Police benefit by positively influencing our next generation of Police Officers imbued with our agency values and performance expectations at the very beginning of their career journey.  There is no bonus or incentive that can beat that outcome.

Our internship opportunities are normally recruited in the Spring but will often have additional openings throughout the year and are posted on the Washington State employment website: https://careers.wa.gov. You can obtain more information about WDFW Police careers by visiting our website at: Become a WDFW officer | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.