Correspondent photo / Chris McBride Trumbull County Sheriff Mike Wilson, left, Youngstown State University criminal justice student and intern Ben Phillips, middle, and Detective John Dina pose together at the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office.

WARREN — A Youngstown State University freshman has completed the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office’s first internship program.

Trumbull County Sheriff Mike Wilson and Detective John Dina said they will be giving interns hands-on exposure to nearly every facet of law enforcement in an effort to attract the next generation of officers amid nationwide recruiting challenges.

Wilson and Dina stressed that interns must pass a background check and meet the same character and integrity standards expected of deputies and have a strong commitment to community service.

Ben Phillips, 19, a first-year criminal justice student from Ashtabula County, spent 90 hours rotating through the sheriff’s office operations as part of a new partnership with YSU.

He described shadowing deputies on patrol, jail operations, the civil division and administrative duties, and even sat in on court proceedings and trials.

“It’s been a great experience,” Phillips said. “I’m thankful to have people like Sheriff Wilson and Detective Dina help me along through this entire process. I love it. It’s something I’d do again.”

The program was spearheaded by Dina, who teaches at the YSU police academy and who said the internship is a bridge between the university and the sheriff’s office after a faculty member reached out about fulfilling internship credit hours.

Wilson, a YSU graduate himself, said the idea grew from conversations with a focus on hands-on education and training.

He said they exposed the intern to the full spectrum of a deputy’s responsibilities they said was far broader than many people realize for a typical police officer.

“Coming to the sheriff’s office, you get to see more of that,” Wilson said. “He rode with me on the road. From the moment somebody commits a crime until they get convicted, he’s seen it, at least in some sort of fashion.”

Phillips said the experience largely matched what he expected, but offered deeper insight into the day-to-day realities. He was particularly struck by participating in an arrest from start to finish.

“It just kind of made me open my eyes to how involved it is,” he said. “It cemented more that this is the career that I want to continue with.”

Phillips, who described himself as the first in his family interested in law enforcement, said he could see himself working in Trumbull County despite not being from the area.

Phillips was so engaged that he applied for a job as a corrections officer after spending time in that division.

“That’s how this program should work out,” Wilson said. “You should be able to bring an intern in, teach them different aspects … and then that person can decide” whether they want patrol work, corrections, prosecution or another role in the justice system.

The sheriff said he hopes to continue it annually and build on a relationship with YSU’s criminal justice department.

At a time when law enforcement agencies nationwide struggle to recruit, Wilson said such initiatives are vital.

Dina added that the office would be open to similar internships from other local universities, such as Kent State, as long as scheduling aligns with students’ academic and work obligations, and candidates clear the required screenings.