Cottonwood Police Cadets

Program Values

The Cottonwood Police Cadet is a program for youth ages 14-18, who are interested in Law Enforcement as a career. The program teaches numerous aspects of Law Enforcement. One of the most important things taught to our Police Cadets is Integrity along with other important topics; Physical Fitness, Criminal Law, Traffic Law, Traffic Stops, Handcuffing Techniques, and Building Searches. This is just a small portion of the variety of topics taught.

Community Events

The Police Cadets participate in numerous Community Events in the local area. Some of the regular events include: Shop with a Cop, Cottonwood Fourth of July Fireworks Show, National Night Out, and Annual Cottonwood Christmas Parade.

Meeting Times & Location

The program meets on the First and Third Tuesday of the month from August through May at:
Cottonwood Police Department
199 S. 6th St.
Cottonwood, AZ 86326

During the summer, the program holds a one week long Police Cadet Academy. The date changes depending on what dates work for the majority of schedules of our Cadets.

Join Us

If interested come to the Cottonwood Police Department and ask for an Application or for contact information for one of the Police Cadet Advisors.

Program Requirements / Expectations

A few things to know about the Cottonwood Police Cadet Post prior to joining:
  • You must meet all of the requirements to join the Cadet Program prior to applying, such as: school grades, no serious arrests or convictions, good moral character, etc.
  • If accepted into the Cadet Program, you will be expected to maintain these standards throughout your time in the Cadet Post. If you do not maintain these standards, you could be removed from the program.
  • If accepted into the Cadet Program, you will be required to maintain good grooming standards on hair length and appearance, facial hair and general appearance. These standards are to be met by the next Cadet meeting or activity after you are accepted into the program. These standards will be maintained throughout your time in the Cadet Program or you could be asked to leave the program. While participating in Cadet Activities, Cadets will adhere to Department Appearance Policies.
  • There is no dating other members of the Cadet Program. The idea of the Program is not to facilitate you finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. If it is discovered that members of the Program are dating, both members could be removed from the program.
  • Any occurrence of dishonesty, and/or deception is grounds for immediate termination from the program.
  • If accepted into the program, you will be required to accept constructive criticism and occasional discipline. The discipline for minor infractions may include, but is not limited to: memos, push-ups or other constructive discipline. You must be willing to accept and perform the assigned discipline when asked.
  • The Cottonwood Police Cadet Program has and maintains high standards. We expect all of our members to be proud of who they are and proud to be a member of the Cadet Program. We will not make exceptions to these standards.
  • The members of the program will be expected to maintain good physical fitness. At some, if not all, of the meetings members will be expected to participate in physical activities to include: physical training (PT), defensive tactics (DT) training, and handcuffing.
  • There are members of the program who may be assigned as Sergeants or higher. It is expected those below that member show the Sergeant or higher, the respect and follow out the commands given by that member. If one fails to do so it will be the same as not following the commands of the Advisors.
  • These are just some of the expectations of members of the Cottonwood Police Cadets. Therefore if you do not feel that you are capable of following these simple rules and requirement, we suggest you reconsider applying for this program. The program is for those interested in learning about law enforcement.
While there are strict guidelines, it should be noted each infraction will be handled on a case by case basis. Some infractions may be handled by the Advisors of the program, while other minor infractions may be handled by peers in the program.

If you feel that you can follow these rules and requirements, we invite and welcome your application to be a Cottonwood Police Cadet.