The Los Angeles Police Department Cadet Program, known informally as the LAPD Cadets, is a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

program run and sponsored by the

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

for youth aged 13 to 17. The cadet program is similar in nature to the police explorer programs that are present in many police departments through the

Learning for Life Learning for Life (LFL) is a United States school and work-site based youth program that is an affiliate of Scouting America. It utilizes programs designed for schools and community-based organizations that are designed to prepare youth for th ...

program. Cadets volunteer in several different ways for the police department, including taking part in ride alongs, crowd control, charity assistance, working in stations, and other tasks. The cadet program has posts at all of the LAPD's 21 regional divisions, South and Central Traffic divisions, LAPD Headquarters, and a post in partnership with the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

. The

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and

Los Angeles Airport Police The Los Angeles Airport Police is the airport police division of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the city department that owns and operates two airports in Los Angeles: Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport. It has more tha ...

both host affiliated cadet posts as well, and as of 2014 there were 5,000 cadets.

History

The LAPD program was formerly associated with

, but it was withdrawn from the program and reorganized as an independent organization in 2007 after the police commission broke off their partnership with the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

over their policy of barring gays, atheists and agnostics from being troop leaders. The newer cadet program shifted focus from the old explorer program, which focused primarily on preparing cadets for a career in law enforcement, to a broader program that is designed to give cadets a solid foundation in life and to help them prepare for whatever careers they choose by offering things like tutoring and college scholarships to different cadets in need of assistance. The cadets complete courses not only on law enforcement but also on citizenship, leadership, financial literacy and other different skill sets.

Membership

In order to join the cadet program a person must be between the ages of 13 and 17, maintain a 2.0 grade point average, have no serious criminal record, obtain a medical examination, and complete the cadet academy.

Organization and Structure

Each Cadet Post is run by two Youth Services Officers, who are sworn police officers. At each post, a staff of senior cadets mentors and teaches the more junior cadets. While cadets have, and can promote to, different ranks, cadet rank is designed to provide mentorship and leadership, and cannot issue orders or impose punishment.

Training

Recruits must attend the Cadet Leadership Academy, which lasts for fifteen consecutive Saturdays. Recruits learn basic law enforcement skills through classroom learning, physical training, and drill. Classes taught at the academy include

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

public speaking Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

conflict resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of Conflict (process), conflict and Revenge, retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively co ...

, and demonstrations by

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

, K-9, and

Bomb Squad Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fun ...

units.

Activities

Cadets attend meetings once a week for additional training and other law enforcement-related activities. In addition to meeting weekly, cadets volunteer to assist law enforcement officers in coordinating and securing special activities, or take part in additional training opportunities, including: LAPD Signing up the Cadets

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to co ...

*Division Picnics/Holiday Parties *

National Night Out National Night Out is a community policing awareness-raising event in the United States, held the first Tuesday of August. Texas celebrates on the first Tuesday in October. History National Night Out was established by Matt Peskin in the wester ...

*SWAT Fitness Challenge *The

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Hollywood Christmas Parade The Hollywood Christmas Parade (formerly the Hollywood Santa Parade and Santa Claus Lane Parade) is an annual parade held on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It follows a 3.5-mi ...

*LA Marathon *Dodgers Nights *Division Vice Operations *Working at Division front desks *Officer oriented training for bike patrol

Controversy

In June 2017, three cadets were arrested after they led police in a car chase using stolen department vehicles, and crashed two of them during the pursuit. Investigators later discovered a ring of cadets had been stealing and using department vehicles and other equipment for at least two months prior to their discovery; ultimately, seven cadets were arrested. During the investigation into the thefts, investigators discovered evidence of a sexual relationship between a fifteen year old female cadet, who was one of the cadets arrested for the theft of department property, and a thirty-one year old police officer, who was subsequently arrested and charged with

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

. Following the investigation, the sexual assault victim announced her intention to file a suit against the city for negligence.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

LAPD Cadets Official Website
Law enforcement in the United States Youth organizations based in California