Gwinnett County Police Department – COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER / 911 DISPATCHER Internship Program

Fall Semester Beginning: August – December

(DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2021)

Applications to participate in the intern program are accepted from students currently enrolled in a degree program at an accredited college or university.

The internship must be a requirement to complete the degree program and credit hours offered for completion.

Applicants must submit a personal resume along with a letter of recommendation from the intern coordinator of the college/university or the department head.

The letter of recommendation should include:

· Notice of student in good standing

· Minimum number of hours required

· Number of credit hours awarded upon completion

· Start and end dates of the internship

All applicants or questions regarding the program should be forwarded to Master Police Officer R.C. Leggett, Gwinnett County Police Intern Coordinator:

· Mail: P.O. Box 602 Lawrenceville, GA 30046

· Email: PDrecruiter@gwinnettcounty.com

· Fax: 770-513-5531

· Office: 770-513-5513

Only a select number of interns will be accepted per quarter/semester. Please send your applications in prior to the date listed above in order to be considered for the program.

All selected interns will report to the intern coordinator, Master Police Officer R.C. Leggett. This is a non-profit unpaid internship.

Even though it states this position as “full-time”, the hours depends on the colleges/universities requirements. Handshake won’t allow me to check both full and part time, but some schools request less hours than others. We base the hours around the students schedule as well.

911 Dispatcher Interns will be placed in our communications unit and observe what it takes to be a 911 dispatcher on a daily bases. Interns will observe the high call volume in Gwinnett County along with the intensity of how some 911 calls can be in the life of a 911 dispatcher.

Placement will be determined on availability and the number of hours your school requires for credit. Interns will meet with the intern coordinator once a month to turn in monthly evaluation forms and discuss any questions and concerns. A final evaluation will be completed on the interns final day to provide feedback, as well as, information on how to apply for open positions we can provide after the intern graduates.

EMPLOYMENT LAWS AND RULES

INTERNS AND TRAINEES

The following six criteria apply when making this determination:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

All of the factors listed above are met, an employment relationship does not exist under the FLSA, and the Act’s minimum wage and overtime provisions do not apply to the intern. This exclusion from the definition of employment is necessarily quite narrow because the FLSA’s definition of “employ” is very broad.

For more information, see WHD Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act.

PAID VS. UNPAID