Internship: Public Safety

Full Job Description

Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office is seeking multiple students to participate in a 12-weeks internship opportunity.

These positions provide hands-on experience and exposure to various functions within the Sheriff’s Office.

Interns will support operational, administrative, and community engagement activities while offering opportunities for professional development in law enforcement and criminal justice.

Current Hennepin County employees who refer a candidate hired into an open competitive position may be eligible for a $500 referral bonus. For more information visit employee referral program.

Find us here at upcoming career fairs!

Location and hours:

These internships will be performed onsite at various locations depending on division of assignment. Interns will work either full-time (40 hours per week) or part-time (20 hours per week).

Workdays will be determined based on the intern’s availability. These internships are intended to begin in May 2026 and last through August 2026.

About these position types:
These positions are full time and part-time, limited duration, non-benefit earning internship.
These positions are internally classified as an Intern II.
Click here to view the job classification specification.

Note: You must attach a resume in addition to your application materials to be considered for this position.

In this position, you will:

• Participate in and assist with community events, recruitment efforts, and outreach initiatives.
• Perform clerical duties, including data entry, document scanning and copying, logging records, answering public phone calls, and filing.
• Assist with research and development projects.
• Engage in scenario-based training through role-playing exercises.
• Transport vehicles for maintenance and repairs.
• Manage and maintain equipment inventory, ensuring proper functionality.
• Transport equipment between various Sheriff’s Office locations.
• Support special projects as assigned.
• Assist with Jail Programs and related activities.
• Participate in job shadowing opportunities.
• Conduct and assist with facility tours.
  

Need to have:

• Enrollment for the Fall academic school year of 2026-2027 in an academic program in criminal justice, juvenile justice, law enforcement, peace officer studies, corrections, computer science, data Science, cyber security, or another related field.
• Valid driver’s license preferred but not required.
• Access to a phone.
• Access to reliable transportation, which may include access to public transit, biking, rideshare, or other means.

Nice to have:

Experience with:

• Microsoft Office 365 suite of products or Google equivalent products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Docs, Sheets, Slides, GMail)
• Working with a public safety or first responder organizations such as Explorers, police or fire reserves, special deputy, scouting, community service officer or similar organizations.
• Data entry inputting accurate names and numbers.
• Writing at an intermediate level.
• Editing and project management software.
• Organizational and communication skills.

Ability to:

• Maintain confidentiality and demonstrate professionalism.
• Work in fast-paced environments.
• Communicate effectively in both verbal and written formats.
• Demonstrate adaptability in managing multiple simultaneous tasks and collaborate with the supervisor to establish priorities to meet deadlines.
• Take initiative in identifying and solving problems using sound judgment in the process.

Candidates with fluency in another language in addition to English are encouraged to apply.

About the department:

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office serves the county's 1.2 million residents.

State law mandates most of the sheriff's office duties, including managing the county jail, providing security to the district court, and patrolling the waterways in the county.

The Sheriff's Office also runs specialized initiatives like Criminal Information Sharing and Analysis (CISA), Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF), Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Investigation, Community Outreach and Employee Wellness.

The mission of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is: Providing quality professional services while building meaningful relationships that are sustainable within our communities, and with our partners, to ensure justice and safety for all.

About Hennepin County:

Hennepin is the largest county government organization in Minnesota. Our employees work every day to improve the health, safety and quality of life for our residents and communities.

All of our jobs align with our mission to serve residents through transformative services that eliminate disparities, eliminate inequities, and create opportunity for all and our vision of a community where all people are healthy, all people are valued, and all people thrive.

Hennepin County envisions an organization where our commitment to diversity and the reduction of disparities is fundamental in providing excellent service to our community.

Your future. Made here. This posting may be used to fill current and future vacancies. Invitations to interview will be based on an assessment of education and experience.

Job offer will be contingent on passing a drug test that may including testing for cannabis, employment history/reference check, criminal background check including fingerprinting prior to employment.

Under State of Minnesota law, certain criminal convictions disqualify persons from employment in this job classification. Watch this video for application best practices and tips.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Talent Acquisition division
Hennepin County Human Resources department
Submit a request at hennepin.us/ask-hr or 612-348-7855

internship2000