PARK CITY, Utah — Police departments in Utah and all across the country are having an increasingly difficult time attracting new recruits into their profession.
The Park city police Department is now trying to meet that challenge by introducing teenagers to a possible career in law-enforcement through its police cadet program.
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The police cadet program was started in an effort to get younger people interested in a potential law enforcement career.
Last Friday, members of the cadet program were getting hands-on experience, in this case working crowd control for the annual Fourth of July parade.
They don’t have badges and can’t carry a weapon but they do have radios and shadow the real cops, getting an idea of what it is they do on a day-to-day and shift-to shift basis.
“What we want to do with his program,” said PCPD community specialist Enrique Sanchez, “is kind of engage the youth in our community and around Park City to see what it’s like so that the next generation of police officers are truly those that are motivated to help the community and do the job of a police officer that’s so needed right now.”
“And even if you are somewhat hesitant I would encourage you to check it out,” said Cadet Wesle Kirk. “There’s like no pressure to join, you can just come to a few meetings and if you like it, great, but it’s a really fun program and a lot of great experiences here.”
If you’re between the ages of 14 and 20 and thinking about a possible career in law enforcement, this Park City Police Department Cadet program could be for you.
Applicants don’t have to live in the city limits to be eligible.
If you’d like more information on the program, click here.
