Illinois State Police

Student intern

May - July 2022 • Des Plaines, IL

What I liked

The fact that every single one of my shifts working with the troopers was different. I just did not know what to expect, I learned something new every single time that I did a ride along.

What I wish was different

Nothing really, I can wish that it was a paid internship but the amount of knowledge and experience received during this internship negates the fact that I would want to get paid

Advice

Every single criminal justice major or anyone interested in police work should try to get and internship with the IL state police. This is a great experience to get and the troopers are amazing who are thrilled to have students ride along with them.

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Illinois State Police Intern

May - August 2019 • Romeoville, IL

What I liked

I loved the experience as a whole. The State Troopers I met were professional, and genuinely cared about their job and the appearance they displayed. I was able to learn a lot about what it meant to be an Illinois State Trooper, and it greatly reinforced my idea of wanting to pursue this as a career. The different shifts (days, afternoons, midnights) and different troopers I was also able to interact with made the internship enjoyable. Being able to go on calls whether it'd be accidents, traffic stops, or even holding a spot on the highway to warn drivers of workers on the road was a different experience I don't believe I would be able to find anywhere else. Being able to be on the other side and take a different perspective on policing was very beneficial, and I would highly recommend this internship to anyone who wishes to pursue a career in law enforcement.

What I wish was different

The one thing I wish would have been different would have been the higher call quantity; however, this solely rests on the people themselves and is not in the control of the Illinois State Police.

Advice

Take the most out of the experience. Do not just follow the trooper in the car, but engage with questions. I would always go in with questions prepared and sometimes things would come to me and I would not hesitate to ask. I believe the experience and questions I asked greatly helped me make the decision of wanting to apply to become an Illinois State Trooper.

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Illinois State Police Intern

May - June 2019 • LaSalle, IL

What I liked

I loved the hands-on experience that I was able to receive. Everyone that I job shadowed each day shared stories from their time on the force. It allowed me to really get a first-hand while standing along side them on each stop. After each stop they talked with me about how I would have done things and corrected me when I should do something different.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have been able to see more of the drug task force side. I know my internship was short-lived due to not as many hours compared to others.

Advice

If I would give one piece of advice is to ask a lot of questions. I did this during my internship and it allowed me to get a better idea of their own police discretion.

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