During 2020, Southwestern Community College’s criminal justice program partnered with the Union County attorney’s office to create a unique internship opportunity for the college’s criminal justice students. The collaboration began following a discussion between Diogenes Ayala, Southwestern criminal justice instructor, and Tim Kenyon, Union County attorney.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the program,” Ayala said. “The position is vital for the county attorney and gives students real world practice.”
The internship is a video clerk position. A large portion of the duties of this position consist of watching footage from police body and vehicle cameras. According to Kenyon, one traffic stop alone can generate two to three hours of video. By having the intern watch the footage in its entirety and make notes regarding which portions Kenyon needs to watch himself and which portions are an overlap between sources, it can save hours of the county attorney’s time.
Ayala said it provides invaluable experience to the intern as well, because while watching the footage, students can begin to see how investigators look for and piece together clues to determine what has happened in a situation.
Southwestern sophomore Blaize Reha, a criminal justice major, is currently serving as the first Southwestern student in this internship role.
Reha said the work has been interesting up to this point. He is able to work from home and completes 15-20 hours of work for the county attorney’s office each week. Reha, who emphasized that confidentiality in this role is a must, said this internship will be a great stepping stone for him as he heads into the field. He plans to transfer to Buena Vista University following graduation from Southwestern. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he hopes to go into the field of probation or parole.
According to Ayala, Southwestern will be able to rotate students into the position with no cost to the county; therefore, this contribution benefits everyone involved.
Students in Southwestern’s two-year criminal justice program earn the Associate of Applied Science degree. Southwestern also has an Associate of Arts degree transfer plan available for criminal justice majors.