What does a Police Cadet do?

Police cadets require multiple police department-relevant skills in traffic control, police reports, public safety, and special events. Those who choose this career will be responsible for participating in training programs that will introduce them to the fundamentals of law enforcement and prepare them for becoming police officers, supporting police operations like traffic control, working on criminal investigation, and performing administrative duties at the station.
Police cadet responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real police cadet resumes:
- Process requests for background record checks for a variety of agencies using RMS.
- Prepare teletype requests to run serialize firearms; input data from all seize firearms into CLETS.
- Perform clerical tasks, filing, data entry, payroll and information research/investigation with NCIC 2000 and SCIC.
- Automate tow notification process within RMS system.
- Perform preventative maintenance inspections, routinely servicing minor repairs on equipment and patrol vehicles.
- General law enforcement responsibilities including dispatch, jail, patrol, investigations, undercover vice/narcotics and supervision.
- Review civilian complaints; conduct comprehensive interviews and disciplinary hearings; recommend and implement disciplinary action; handle removal of firearms.
- Register bikes, skateboards and other transportation as required.
- Conduct foot and bike patrols of campus including: campus dormitories, apartments, and all buildings on campus.
- Provide safety, security, and crime deterrence for UCLA students, faculty, staff and visitors through various CSO shifts.
- Confer with FBI, DEA and other law enforcement agents nationwide to conduct the necessary research.
- Promote to emergency preparedness CSO.
- Maintain CLETS certification throughout tenure.
Police cadet skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Police Cadets are proficient in Patrol, Traffic Control, and Public Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Empathy, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Police Cadets that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 18%
Performed preventative maintenance inspections, routinely servicing minor repairs on equipment and patrol vehicles.
- Traffic Control, 10%
Maintained beat time allocation and scheduling for traffic control department and meter minders
- Public Safety, 8%
Maintained public safety while working side-by-side with sworn-in police officers.
- Police Academy, 7%
Obtained a well-rounded working knowledge of police department operations and completed one full month of training at the Boston Police Academy.
- Parking Enforcement, 5%
Perform a variety of parking enforcement work that included enforcing statutory vehicle registration laws and parking regulation ordinance violations.
- Criminal Justice, 4%
Completed mandatory 60 college credit hours at The University of the District of Columbia in Criminal Justice.
Common skills that a police cadet uses to do their job include "patrol," "traffic control," and "public safety." You can find details on the most important police cadet responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a police cadet to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Police cadets often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "completed police cadet training across areas including traffic control, investigations, crime prevention, communications and crime scene investigations. "
Empathy. Another essential skill to perform police cadet duties is empathy. Police cadets responsibilities require that "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Police cadets also use empathy in their role according to a real resume snippet: "participated in ride-alongs to gain a better understanding of what the job of a police officer entails. "
Good judgment. police cadets are also known for good judgment, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to police cadet responsibilities, because "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." A police cadet resume example shows how good judgment is used in the workplace: "assist in maintaining good order and discipline, law enforcement, and physical security duties. "
Leadership skills. police cadet responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." This resume example shows what police cadets do with leadership skills on a typical day: "performed activities in leadership development awards cadet police explorers"
Physical strength. A commonly-found skill in police cadet job descriptions, "physical strength" is essential to what police cadets do. Police cadet responsibilities rely on this skill because "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." You can also see how police cadet duties rely on physical strength in this resume example: "gained valuable leadership strengths during challenging training program. "
The three companies that hire the most police cadets are:
- MMeridian Township2 police cadets jobs
- CCommonwealth Of Pennsylvania1 police cadets jobs
- CCity of Newport1 police cadets jobs
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Police cadet vs. Criminal investigator
A criminal investigator is a law enforcement professional who endeavors to solve felony crimes. Criminal investigators may work alone or as a member of an investigative team whose goal is to uncover the certainty of a case and potentially keep suspects to prevent the ensuing criminal activity. Their tasks and responsibilities depend on various job functions and specialties. They may specialize in the information and evidence of a crime scene, conduct interviews and searches, or perform surveillance.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, police cadet responsibilities require skills like "traffic control," "public safety," "police academy," and "parking enforcement." Meanwhile a typical criminal investigator has skills in areas such as "investigative reports," "resourcefulness," "firearms," and "treasury." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Criminal investigators tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,921. In contrast, police cadets make the biggest average salary, $38,178, in the government industry.criminal investigators tend to reach higher levels of education than police cadets. In fact, criminal investigators are 7.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.8% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Police cadet vs. Detective
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, police cadet responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "traffic control," "parking enforcement," "criminal justice," and "cadet program." Meanwhile, a detective has duties that require skills in areas such as "physical evidence," "insurance fraud," "child abuse," and "burglary." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, detectives achieve similar levels of education than police cadets. They're 4.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Police cadet vs. Loss prevention associate
A loss prevention associate is responsible for monitoring the organization's daily operations, maintaining the safety and security of all network systems to avoid data theft. Loss prevention associates take immediate actions on all related suspicious activities that would compromise the company's reputation and financial status. They regularly check surveillance technologies to maintain asset protection and operational stability at all times. A loss prevention associate should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, especially on writing incident reports and escalating unusual activities to the management for immediate resolution.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, police cadets are more likely to have skills like "traffic control," "public safety," "police academy," and "parking enforcement." But a loss prevention associate is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "safety standards," "loss prevention," and "safety inspections."
Loss prevention associates earn the best pay in the utilities industry, where they command an average salary of $34,406. Police cadets earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $38,178.When it comes to education, loss prevention associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to police cadets. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Police cadet vs. Deputy
The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat. There are also instances when a deputy must serve court documents, transport detainees or suspected criminals, and monitor courtrooms. Furthermore, a deputy reports to higher-ranking officers such as a sheriff.
Types of police cadet
Updated January 8, 2025