Osterburg, James W.

Trubitt, Hillard J..

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Recommendations Based Upon a Study of Police Cadet Programs in the United States

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Journal of Criminal Law and CriminologyVolume 61 | Issue 3 Article 101971Recommendations Based Upon a Study of PoliceCadet Programs in the United StatesJames W. OsterburgHillard J.. TrubittFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclcPart of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and CriminalJustice CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons.Recommended CitationJames W. Osterburg, Hillard J.. Trubitt, Recommendations Based Upon a Study of Police Cadet Programs in the United States, 61 J.Crim. L. Criminology & Police Sci. 459 (1970)THE JOURNAL OF CnInmAr, L&w, CRIINOLOGY AND poLICE SCIENCECopyright @ 1970 by Northwestern University School of LawVol. 61, No. 3Prdnted in U.S.A.RECOMMENDATIONS BASED UPON A STUDY OF POLICE CADETPROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATESJAMES W. OSTERBURG AND'HILLARD J. TRUBITTJames V. Osterburg is Professor of Police Administration, Indiana University, Bloomington,Indiana. During the 1969-70 academic year-he served as Acting Chairman of the DepartmentofPolice Administration'following a year asa Visiting Professor,'Schbol of Criminology, Universityof California, Berkeley. Professor Osterburg is the immediate past president of the American Academyof Forensic Sciences, and has contributed to this and other technical jpurnals on numerous occa-sions.Hillard J. Trubitt, Associate Professor of Police Administration, Indiana University, servedduring 1968-69 as Commissioner of. Public Safety, Utica, New York. Professor Trubitt has beena member of the Department of Police Administration since 1959 followina his araduation fromIndiana University Law School.-EnrroR.The pragmatic philosophy underlying the basisfor the..suggestions in this paper should be men-tioned at the start. The guidelines developed arebased upon an Iexamination of two major reasonsstated by police agencies for establishment of cadetprograms. A study for the Office of Law. Enforce-ment Assistance' revealed that somewhat less thanhalf of the agencies with: a program indicated thatits potential as a recruitment technique was a majorreason for its adoption. Experience, both qualita-tive and quantitative, is too limited to prove ordisprove ihe validity of this belief; however, thehard data'at the tlme of the study are:Thirty-two departments (out of ninety-two). have acadet program;Seventy per cent of all cadet programs have beenin exiLst'efice for five years or less;The number of cadets hired smc inception of theprograms is 2,265;The number of regular patrolmen appointed from allsources (in the same period) is 12,230;The number of cadets that became regular patrolmenis 734;The number of cadets that left the department afterappointmeiit as regular'patrolmen is 96, leaving anet of 638 still active as patrolmen.These figures hardly provide the basis for a co-gent argument that cadet programs are a significantrecruitment device. Furthermore, a fundamentalpoint must be raised concerning the responsibilityof the federal government in meeting manpowerneeds of local police. Even if the answer to thishypothesis is.imequivocally positive, a relevant1OsTRB-,,G, J. W., TRnBITr, H. J. AND MmEN,R. A., Cadet Programs: An Innovative Change?, 58,J. CRn. LAW, CRDINoL., AND POL. SCr., 112 (1967).question thatif6llows is whether the establishmentof a cadet Dr6tram can be an efficient method -ofrecruitment. On the other hand, if k.superidor type'of policeman is consistently obtained through thisdevice, even though it lacks efficiency,'a serous-ar-gument is possible for the support of- cadet pro-grams. The available facts resulting from theOLEA survey indicate that only 18 of 184 cadetswere promoted to supervisory rank after they be-came patrolmen and were eligible for promotion.It is difficult to develop enthusiasm for the ad-vocacy of cadet programs as a recruitment devicesince those now in existence have not producedsuperidr police personnel.The second major reason prompting policeagencies to adopt cadet programs is that they nyserve as a source of potential leaders. While the re-ported data do not presently support th view, thequestion must be raised: Is it possible tb establisha program which will produce command personnel?"Any recommendations must also consider a possible'change in emphasis on the role of police in modemsociety-a'subject of concern to 'the PresiddntsCommission on Law Enforcement and the Adhin-'istration 'of justice. Some emerging trends areclearly evident The patrolman, as well as theppliceadministrator of the future, will be judged to agreat extent by his ability to make and affect de-cisions. Another factor to be considered is the nec-essary academic education which a policemanshould possess to fulfill his new, role; certainly,higher education can be an influential factor in thedevelopment of suitable attributes. Also -inherentin this discussion is the respective value and placeof a libral arts education versus professional train-mg. Reflection on this question quickly leadi to aACOJAMES W. OSTERBURG AiD HILLARD J. TRUBITTconsideration of the objectives of the two-year,four-year, and graduate programs in police educa-tion. At present it is possible to characterize theseprograms in the following manner: junior college,vocationally oriented; baccalaureate programs, cul-turally oriented; graduate programs, interdis-ciplinary specialization or professionally oriented.From this observation it is apparent that futurepotential leaders are best obtained from amonggraduates of baccalaureate or graduate programs.Although not directly related to cadet programs, itseems appropriate to suggest that the Government(LEAA) give some consideration to substantialscholarship support for majors in departments ofpolice administration and the like. A college stu-dent's commitment to police work is indicated byhis choice of major subject. Under the circum-stances, he is more likely to enter law enforcementultimately as a career than would be the averagemajor in the other social sciences. It is for thisreason that financial support for police majors isrecommended in particular rather than supportacross the board for social science majors. For cadetprograms intended to produce future leaders, itseems reasonable that any support should be givento those police agencies which encourage cadets toobtain at least a baccalaureate degree. However, welive in a practical world where the optimism dis-played in the suggestions above is perhaps unwar-ranted.Under these circumstances an interim set of rec-ommendations has been prepared and is attachedto these introductory remarks. They assume thatthe police field must learn to crawl before it cantake the giant step toward requirement of a bac-calaureate degree as a condition of leadership inpolice work.It is hoped that the Government (LEAA) willtake a long-range view and will strongly supportgraduation from college with a four-year degree asthe objective over the next two decades. Of course,the ultimate goal must be the requirement of agraduate degree, at least for those who aspire toleadership of a police agency twenty-five yearsfrom now.RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINESReommendatwun . THE RATIONALE OF =E CADrPROGRAM SOumn BE DETERMINED AND STATEDCLARLY By EACH DEPARTMENT.It is axiomatic that any activity must have awell-defined goal if its success is to be measured.The results of the survey for OLEA indicated thattoo many departments assign too many conflictinggoals to their cadet programs. Unless a program isvery carefully structured, it cannot produce per-sonnel of high quality who are potential leaders andat the same time provide for the quantitative re-quirements of general recruitment. The basicchoice then in any program must be made betweenquality and quantity.Use of a cadet program as a major personnelsource suggests that an apprenticeship system ofpolicing is being established. In addition to beingundesirable per se, it ill-behooves law enforcementto forment apprenticeship systems when the stateddesire of the field is achievement of professionalstatus rather than that of a skilled trade.Recommendation II. USE OF A CADET PROGRAMAS A DEVIcE FOR OBTAINING POTENTIAL LEAD-ERS SHOULD BE DRAMATICALLY ENcOURAGED.It is quite apparent to informed persons thatexecutive and leadership talent in police service isnot being nurtured systematically. A cadet pro-gram must properly be viewed as a vehicle tointerest young men in the field with the specificpurpose of preparing them for roles of leadershipand not just to meet present needs for patrolmen.Guiddine 11 A. A Fumr PosIToN ON IGHEREDUCATION IN CONJUNCTION Wrm SERVICESHoULD BE ENUNCIATED BY EAc DEPARTMENT.Wide variation in the relationship of educationto work exists in present programs. This is at-tributable, in part, to the availability of local edu-cational facilities and, in larger measure, to theambivalent rationale underlying the formulation ofthe cadet program. If a program is designed to cul-tivate potential leaders for the department, the roleof education vis-a-vis work experience should becarefully articulated and college education notonly should be encouraged but supported finan-cially.Guideline II B. HouRs oF DEPARTMENTAL EM-PLOYMENT SHouLD BE REDUCED WITH A COR-RESPONDING INCREASE IN ACADEMC ACTnVTISAND REQUIREMENTS.The exact proportion of higher education to workcan be adjusted to local situations; however,greater stress should be placed on the academic ex-perience by attaching considerable importance toit and by allowing adequate time for its acquisition.[Vol. 61A STUDY OF POLICE CADET PROGRAMSThis can best be achieved by a realistic work-schoolschedule; anything other than this simply producesa moonlighting student or a moonlighting policeemployee.Guideline II C. CADETs ADMITTED TO A LEAE-SHIP-ORIENTED PROGRAM SHOUDw BE CONsID-ERED AND TREATED AS CADET-STuDENTS ATHTHAN AS WORK-APPRENTICES OR NEOPHYTES.The hallmark of a cadet in the classical sense isthat he is destined for a leadership role rather thanservice in the entrance grade. Accordingly, the suc-cess of a cadet program will depend on interest andactivity continuing far beyond the cadet experi-ence. The entire career-management pattern of theman after appointment as a police officer must beunder review. This necessitates treating cadet per-sonnel as "men apart" and subsequently arrangingaffairs to insure that leadership potential is recog-nized and developed as quickly as possible. Obvi-ously, great changes in present police personnelthinking will be necessary but such changes areimperative if a leadership class is to be established.Both the individual and the department shouldbe clearly aware that the man was groomed forgreater responsibility. He should be able to moveinto it as quickly as possible without obstruction byunnecessary barriers of tenure, residence, and so on.Lateral transfer from department to department isa necessary correlate of this career concept.Guideline IID. CADET-JOB ASSIGNMENTS IN LEAD-ERSHIP-OP.IENTED PROGRAMS MUsT BE MADEWITH AN EYE TowARD PRovmnG WoRx INTASKS HAVING LONG-RANGE EDUCATIVE VALUE.Mastery of clerical skills in a given assignmentshould not be the hallmark of a cadet's performancein a job, nor should jobs be assigned in the errone-ous belief that it is cheaper to have cadet performthem. Job rotation should be planned for its long-range informative value rather than merely for thesake of exposure to a variety of tasks.The bulk of cadet duties is essentially clerical innature; however, it must be emphasized that thecadet is assigned to the task for the observation ofthe functions of the agency on an overview basisrather than to acquire competence in a given posi-tion. Under this philosophy, assignment should bemade only to operations that provide a good van-tage point for a rounded view of departmentaloperations and a proper understanding of the policefunction.Guideline 1 E. A CADET'S STATUS AS A.STUDELARGELY DETERMINES HIS STATUS IN TECADET PROGRAM.The student's academic achievement should bedirectly related to his status as a departmental em-ployee, i.e., cadets in academic difficulty are to beconsidered marginal in departmental eyes despitegood duty performance records, and cadets whofail academic work should be considered for re-moval from the cadet corps. This procedure willplace proper emphasis upon the academic portionof the cadet position. If the police cadet is to be amember of an elite group, his intellectual abilitiesmust be above reproach, and the setting of highacademic standards emphasizes this aim. A posi-tion in the upper third or quarter in scholasticstanding is feasible for a cadet corps worthy of elitestatus. To permit anything less than this standardis to condone poor scholarship which denigrates theentire value of the educational alliance required ofcadets.Guideline II F. OPPICERs APPOINTED FROM THECADET PROGRAM SHOULD BE REQUIRED TOComrusE Tmam FonarAL AcADEmc CAREERSTO CoMPIETIoN OF AN APPROPRIATE DEGREE.The process of formal education does not endautomatically upon appointment as a police officeror upon attainment of majority. The same reasonsfor cultivating leadership through breadth of edu-cation apply in post-cadet career activities as well.Certainly, it will serve the best interests of both thedepartment and the individual if he receives thehighest possible formal education. Departmentalencouragement of this goal should be openly mani-fested. This may take the form of partial subsidiza-tion of educational costs, adjustment of duty sche-dules to permit class attendance, and through a re-quirement of some specific educational achievementas a precondition for promotion.Recommendation III. THE TRANsISTioN PROMCADET TO PoInCE OrrICER SHOULD BE MADEAS SIMPrLE Am A TOMATc AS PossrBLE UPONATTAIING MAJORITY.The transitional point in the career of a cadetgenerally occurs at age twenty-one or shortly there-after. Departments should encourage career con-tinuation by reducing as much as possible anyformalities or reapplication procedures that are re-quired at this point. If the cadet entered the servicewith the expectation that policing was his career,1970)JAMES W. OSTERBURG AND HILLARD 1. TRUBITTthe transfer of status should be given'the appear-ance of a graduation rather than an abrupt entryinto an essentially new career. Nothing should bedone to encourage the thought that the cadet wasemployed for any purpose other than to become apolice officer and that this would occur as a matterof course providing his performance was satisfac-tory as a cadet.Recommendation IV. FEDERAL SuPpoRT UNDERmE OamMUS CnMn CONTOL AND SAFESTREETS ACT o: 1968 (P.L.90-351) To CADETPRoGnum SHOULD BE LImnTE TO PROGRAMdEIhAT ARE INNOVATVE AND TH MEET THESTANDARDS AND GvnEL-NEs ESTABLISHEDABOVE.Direct subsidy of large numbers of cadet pro-grams, simply because they have made applica-tion for support, will not help the national policeproblem. Across the board distribution of meagerfunds to applicant agencies only dissipates theavailable resources. In fact, such indiscriminatelargess may harm law enforcement inasmuch asthe final effect can be merely the subsidization ofteen-age manpower pools inside police departmentsunless there is some assurance that the critical needfor long-range leadership in police service will bemet. In addition, mass employment of youth isnow being conducted by several other federalagencies and LEAA activity in this field would beessentially meaningless to the economy and detri-mental to the primary clientele of LEAA--agenciesin need of aid in many areas of law enforce-ment.[Vol. 61

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Recommendations Based Upon a Study of Police Cadet Programs in the United States

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