The Phoenix Police Department will begin trying to recruit high school students, especially those in their cadet program, to civilian jobs out of high school to create a “pipeline” to becoming an officer once they reach the age requirement.
The police department has operated a cadet program for youth ages 14-18 for many years but cannot offer them a job once they graduate. By state law, police officers must be at least 20.5 years old when they start the academy.
Phoenix Assistant Police Chief Brian Chapman said the cadet program and programs like school resource officers, where the same officer works full-time on a high school campus, have done a good job driving interest in becoming a police officer, but there is a gap between when they become adults and when the department can offer them a sworn position.
