What I liked
Disclaimer: this was just my experience, and because the assignments within MPD are so diverse, experiences ranged greatly from intern to intern.
I had several incredible opportunities afforded to me (which I largely chalk up to having a wonderful, supportive supervisor (meeting shadowing, several ride-alongs as they went about their day-to-day, helping with the admin side of investigations, etc.), along with the intern seminars offered to all interns (like VCSD, mental health training, focus groups, Harbor Patrol, etc.)). Although it is unpaid (though I've heard rumors of MPD trying for a paid internship?? I don't have anything to support this, so I could be misremembering), I was compensated with credit from my school (though, honestly, I'd do it again even if I weren't compensated).
I got to see firsthand the workings of the Department and help streamline things (for example, every so often helping officers with computer skills, perhaps because I'm more tech-savvy). I found my time with admin/office work was well balanced with time shadowing/experiential learning, making for a valuable overall experience.
The workload was flexible (if I wanted to contribute more, I could, but there wasn't pressure to take on more work than initially assigned, though going above and beyond definitely afforded me additional opportunities)
Also, the free Capital Bikeshare was really nice!
Overall, I'd recommend this internship to anyone interested in criminal justice, regardless of ambition (to that end, I'm not interested in being an officer, and I still think I got meaningful, applicable experience outside of policing).
