Forensic Intern Program

Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit

Internship Program

Program Overview

The Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit provides crime scene investigation, latent print and advanced evidence processing services to the city of Pasadena. In addition, the Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit provides contractual work to South Pasadena and San Marino.

The Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit conducts Crime Scene Processing, DNA collection, Evidence Processing, Latent Print Processing and Crime Scene Documentation. The staff also provides training to law enforcement officers and detectives in crime scene investigation, evidence collection, and preservation. The Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit also engages the community including presentations to the Pasadena Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy, students throughout the Pasadena Unified School District and various community groups in the City of Pasadena.

The Pasadena Police Department Forensic Services Unit Internship Program at the Pasadena Police Department provides an opportunity for interns to acquire knowledge and skills complementary to academic studies, enhance professional development, and network with specialists in the forensic science community. The internship is unpaid, and a job is not guaranteed upon completion of the training or completion of the intern’s schooling.  Interns are required to maintain the housekeeping of the laboratory and assist Forensic Specialists with assigned tasks.  Interns are also afforded the opportunity to conduct research in their chosen field of study to complete any academic degree requirements.

Each internship will be comprised of 120 hours of internship experience. Potential interns will be required to submit an internship application, complete an internship interview, and pass a background investigation prior to their appointment. Interns will be assigned to a Forensic Specialist and be required to work a minimum of 10 hours per week during the 3-month program.

At the completion of the internship, interns will be evaluated on their performance, which includes, but not limited to attendance, punctuality, and teamwork.

During the duration of the internship, students must be enrolled in a college or university with an emphasis on forensic science and must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and remain in good standing with their undergraduate or graduate degree program.