Ben Hughes, J.D. ’09
United States Marshals Service
Arlington, VA
My ‘Most Wanted’ Internship
As a law student who is currently pursuing careers in law enforcement, I thoroughly enjoyed my summer 2007 internship with the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Office of General Counsel. Working on the top floor of USMS headquarters in Arlington, VA, my fellow interns and I primarily adjudicated administrative tort claims filed with the USMS. We also embarked on numerous field trips, including an eye-opening tour of the cellblock for the DC Superior Court.
Formed in 1789, the United States Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. The USMS is probably best known for its fugitive hunting, apprehending more federal fugitives per year than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined. Additional duties include protecting federal courts, operating the Witness Security Program, transporting federal prisoners, and managing seized criminal assets.
For my USMS internship, I mainly investigated and adjudicated administrative tort claims filed against the agency pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) which requires a plaintiff to seek settlement with a federal agency before taking that agency to federal court. Claimed amounts usually ranged in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, although some of the more “creative” prisoner claims demanded millions. After carefully reviewing each claim from a factual and legal standpoint, I submitted a recommended disposition memorandum to be approved by the General Counsel, Gerald Auerbach.
The administrative tort claims filed against the USMS generally fall into one of four categories. Most of my claims arose from motor vehicle accidents involving a USMS employee in the performance of his/her duties. Other claims were from alleged personal injuries or lost personal property sustained by prisoners. The final category consisted of “law enforcement related” claims, such as property damage by a fugitive task force making a dynamic entry into a fugitive's house (i.e., breaking down a door).
The highlights of my internship were the plethora of field trips arranged throughout the summer. My favorites included the U.S. Park Police’s Aviation Unit and SWAT team, the Pentagon, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Attorney General’s Summer Lecture Series. Many of the trips were designed to give us a taste of the operational side of federal law enforcement.
The field trip coordinator saved the best for last – during my final week with the U.S. Marshals, he took us on a memorable tour of the DC Superior Court’s notorious cellblock. Before going in, the deputy U.S. Marshals instructed us to stay away from the bars, to ignore the catcalls, and to not help if an incident occurred. The cellblock is malodorous, loud, crowded (but not over-crowded), and dangerous. It houses everyone from traffic violators to murderers of all genders and ages. As one of the deputies said, if you can work this cellblock, you can work anywhere. We were amazed by the weapons that have been found and confiscated during body searches of inmates. After exiting the cellblock, we ended the tour by observing criminal hearings in the Superior Court. [It was quite refreshing to finally walk out into the fresh air and bright sunlight.]
I am exceedingly grateful for the public service fellowship that helped to make this worthwhile internship possible. Thanks to my USMS experiences and contacts, I am now very interested in becoming a deputy U.S. Marshal. I highly recommend the USMS internship program to anyone interested in working for a federal agency, especially in the areas of law enforcement and torts.
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