By James Hannah
The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - When he worked in the U.S. Marshals Office, Nick Tabernik got used to being called "Junior."

As an intern this year, the University of Dayton student assembled fingerprints, photos and other information on fugitives, persuaded defendants to show up in court and helped escort prisoners.

Federal law enforcement agencies are using more college interns than before in an effort to increase diversity and to help with recruiting.

As an added benefit, the agencies say, the students help free up agents to spend more time on homeland security duties, such as intelligence gathering or investigating threatening letters sent to federal officials.

Some of the 90 FBI interns collect and analyze data on homicides, serial rapes, hate crimes, gang violence and cyber crimes. Others work on the Ten Most Wanted List or help inspectors make sure field offices follow regulations.

"They're not pushing mail carts around," said Jim Knights, FBI spokesman.

Michelle Edwards, a psychology major at the University of Memphis, works with the unit that investigates crimes against children, such as abduction and prostitution.

"I like it because I know ... I'm helping stop people who hurt children," said Edwards, 21, of Nashville, Tenn.

Joshua Davis, a mechanical engineering major at North Carolina State, helps evaluate the design of FBI offices, verifying the accuracy and costs of the plans.

The interns are used primarily at FBI headquarters in Washington, at the FBI academy and lab in Quantico, Va., and at the Criminal Justice Information System in Clarksburg, W.Va. The FBI interns either work for college credit or are paid at a rate of about $30,000 a year.

FBI interns are given background checks and get top-security clearance. They attend orientation sessions and receive on-the-job training.

Edwards has been trained in managing crime scenes, including how to photograph evidence and how to lift fingerprints and shoeprints.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, prospective interns also are evaluated on whether they have skills that would help the agency expand its intelligence gathering, which includes knowledge of foreign affairs, command of a foreign language and proficiency in computers, Knights said.