Cadet Program

The Cadet program is a recruitment tool used to expose interested citizens (from the age of 18 to 25) to the law enforcement profession, in the hopes the student will pursue a career at the Wilmington Police Department. Working as a Police Cadet, students will gain hands-on experience while being exposed to the day-to-day operations of a police organization.

While working in an administrative capacity cadets are assigned to the front desk, criminal investigations division, the professional development unit, and the property and evidence division. Cadets are part-time employees with a flexible work schedule to accommodate their school schedule.

Benefits

• Eligibility for tuition reimbursement of up to $1000 per fiscal year
• Salary of $15.00 per hour
• Uniforms provided by WPD
• Employer contribution of 4.5% to 401k or 457 plan
• Police Cadets must participate in the NC Retirement System with a 6% mandatory contribution

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Hiring Process of the Police Cadet Position

The following steps must be completed in order to be considered for employment by the Wilmington Police Department

• City Of Wilmington Application
• Credit Inquiry Waiver(PDF, 171KB)
• Personal Inquiry Waiver(PDF, 161KB)
• Recruiting Survey(PDF, 52KB)
• Personal History F-3 Form
• Also include a copy of your driver's license, social security card, and birth certificate

After an application packet is submitted to the City of Wilmington Human Resources Department they are screened and forwarded to the Wilmington Police Department Professional Development Unit for review.

The following steps will be completed only after a conditional job offer has been given.

• Preliminary background check (driver's history, criminal history, AOC, credit history)
• Medical examination
• Drug screen

The expected duration for successful completion of the application process for a police cadet is approximately 3 months.