DC Relaunches High School Police Cadet Program

WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee III announced the High School Cadet Program will return, giving DC students an opportunity to work for MPD.

Students interested in police work may enroll in the program the month before they begin their senior year of high school. The program pays about $17 an hour for part-time police work while the students are still in high school.

Mayor Bowser and Chief Contee announced the re-launch of the program at Ballou Senior High School on Thursday morning.

"One of the most effective tools for building a police department that reflects our values is through our cadet program," Bowser said.

Contee was in the High School Cadet Program himself and said the program was a life-changing experience.

"The greatest honor that we have is to serve our communities," Contee said.

“We are going to make sure that we invest in you because you are important and you matter to the citizens of the District of Columbia," he told the students.

Once the HSCP students complete high school or obtain a GED, they enter the Cadet Corps Program as full-time members and enroll in the University of the District of Columbia Community College. Tuition is paid up to 60 credits, and full-time Cadet Corps members make over $35,000 annually. From there, cadets are able to enter the MPD's Police Officer Recruit Program.

Bowser has also introduced legislation to make more DC residents eligible to participate in the Cadet Corps Program.