The Miami-Dade Police Department is not only the largest police department in the Southeastern United States, it's one of the most diverse. A true melting-pot of the Americas and Caribbean, Miami is culturally rich and socioeconomically divergent. Immigration, anti-drug enforcement, smuggling, and tourist crime are just some of the challenges we face in our unique locale.

The MDPD is recognized as one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world because of its progressive management, dedicated employees, and innovative programs. In its commitment to law enforcement excellence, the Department became fully accredited in 1993 by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and was reaccredited in 1998.

As a part of the MDPD Internship Program (IP), candidates will have an opportunity to work side-by-side with sworn officers and support staff doing real police work with the best equipment and technology the field has to offer, in a major metropolitan environment. Students are exposed to all aspects of an accredited, multi-faceted, crime-fighting organization, against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Upon successful completion of the course, IP participants walk away with diverse, solid experience they can take with them into many different criminal justice careers.

The IP is normally a ten to fourteen week program designed to enhance learning through the observation of police activities. The typical student is assigned to approximately twenty-two different entities during the duration of their internship. Some of the entities they are assigned to include: