APD Offering More Cadet Classes
ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Police Department has increased the number of cadet classes offered each year in order to get new officers in the field sooner.
APD is now holding four academies a year, two CNM academies and two APD academies. In the past, there were only two per year total. The Department added more academies to not only gets officers in the field quicker, but to allow more opportunities for potential candidates to apply. When candidates can begin their training sooner, they are more likely to become officers.
Currently, there are 908 total sworn officers at APD including the130th Academy Class graduating in October. Additionally, the current CNM Academy which began in July, also has 16 cadets. APD now has 78 Police Service Aides (PSAs), including 12 that graduated today.
The 131st Academy Class which will begin on October 7, has 25 projected cadets and the CNM 13 Academy Class is projected to have 30 cadets and will start on December 30.
“We are seeing the success of our recruiting efforts as we have a large pool of cadet candidates, so we wanted to see what could be done to best help our officers in the field,” said Chief Medina. “With this new model, and more frequent academy classes, we are able to bolster the force in a timelier manner.”
APD also offers the pre-hire program so that if an individual is waiting for a cadet class to start, the department can hire them on in a temporary role until the next class beings, so to not lose that candidate to alternative employment.
Additionally, APD has what’s called the Law Enforcement Aide Program, or L.E.A.P., which allows candidates to be hired within a week of applying. The program provides applicants with a temporary job while going through the background check process. The applicants will also participate in a fitness regimen designed to help them successfully complete the physical cadet entry assessment during their regular work hours.
The position pays $19.75 per hour, and upon completion of the background check process, applicants will transition to Cadet or PSA training.
Anyone interested in joining APD can apply at apply.apdonline.com.
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