Cambridge Police Cadet Program

By Cambridge Police Department

Our cadet training program is a paid, benefitted full-time position with a two-year commitment for Cambridge residents between ages of 18-23 who are interested in pursuing a career in public safety.

2021 Cadet Flyer.
This is an ongoing program.
Monday through Friday.

This is a two-year program that generally begins in the Fall.

Ages: 18 and Young Adult.

Grade 12th grade.

Cambridge residents only.

To be eligible, candidates must be between the ages of 18-23 at the time of the application deadline, be a current Cambridge resident and have lived in the city for the last three years, have a high school diploma or a GED certificate at the time of the exam, be a citizen of the United States, have a valid Massachusetts' Driver's License and a good driving record, and take and pass an exam. 

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Contact

Cambridge Police Non-Emergency Number
Cambridge Police Department
Personnel@CambridgePolice.Org
617-349-3300

Registration required

  • Sign-up is ongoing

Job Description and Registration Information.

The deadline to apply to the next Police Cadet Exam, a prerequisite of the program, is typically in late June or early July. Please see our Cambridge Police Cadet Program webpage or contact us to find out when the next exam/cycle of the program will be offered.

Free!

If accepted, the program is a paid, benefited full-time position.

Location

The program location changes over time.

  • In-person only.

Graduates of the Cadet Program will be eligible to join the Cambridge Police Department, as long as they successfully pass the Massachusetts police civil service examination and are at least 21-years-old.

Additional information

Cambridge Police Cadets will be provided with extensive classroom training and cooperative education in addition to specific on-the-job training opportunities. Police Cadets will become familiar with the daily operations and functions of the department and culture of its community policing-related work through temporary assignments throughout the various sections of the department, including the Commissioner's Office, Patrol Operations, Support Services and specialized units. As part of the Department, Police Cadets will also participate in community policing activities and interface with citizens and visitors of the City of Cambridge. Cadets will not carry any firearms, nor will they have any power of arrest. Sample responsibilities include:

  • Classroom training will introduce topics such as 21st Century Policing, Law Enforcement and the Cambridge Police Department, Procedural and Social Justice, Basic First Aid, Self-Defense, Criminal and Juvenile Law, Crime Analysis, and simulated trainings.
  • Field assignments such as assisting community outreach, the Traffic Unit with special events, Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy, criminal investigations, crime scene services, court prosecution, and ride alongs.
  • Administrative duties, including preparing reports, maintaining records, updating data, researching projects and more.
  • Fitness and health training

The Police Cadet Program will be focused on developing and refining qualities such as maturity, responsibility, character, teamwork, leadership, civic duty and personal health and fitness. As Cadets will learn, policing is a job that will bring out the best in you and offer you exciting and challenging opportunities. It is one of the few careers where you can truly make a difference in the community and in someone's life. While it comes with serious responsibilities, the reward is having a job that really counts, particularly here in Cambridge.

Cadet Flyer