Public Safety Cadets Unit 1090

About the Program:
The Public Safety Cadet program is sponsored by the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office and is a member of the nationally-known Public Safety Cadet organization and adheres to the same standards and bylaws. The purpose of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Cadet Unit 1090 is to provide guidance to students interested in a career in law enforcement and police operations by direct interaction with deputies, detectives, and support staff of the sheriff’s office.

Uniforms and associated equipment will be provided by the sheriff’s office at no cost to the cadet; however, the cadet will be responsible for purchasing their own pair of shoes. An advisor will recommend what is acceptable.

Qualifications
Discipline, character development, physical fitness and good citizenship are all important aspects of the program. Additionally, explorer candidates must meet the following standards in order to qualify to participate in the program:

• Must be between the ages of 14-21
• Attend school in Duplin County
• Must have completed the 8th grade.
• Maintain a passing grade point average
• Be of good moral character

Expectations
Cadets are expected to attend meetings regularly and participate in cadet activities within the community. A positive attitude and manners are expected while representing the unit, especially while wearing the cadet uniform. Cadets must also maintain a neat physical appearance and be alcohol and drug free. Other rules and regulations will be given to candidates upon acceptance into the cadet program.

Program Objectives

The goal of the cadet program is to give participants the opportunity to broaden their understanding and gain first-hand experience of the job skills and challenges of their community’s police service. Also, the program encourages participants to continue their education and participate in productive and rewarding community service activities. These types of activities will help cadet unit members prepare for their future role as members of the community.

Training
Cadets meet weekly at the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office for classroom instruction, followed by scenario training in areas such as traffic control, crime scene investigation, felony vehicle stops and hostage negotiation. The training is put into practice at the annual “Survival Weekend” held at Camp Grimes in Morganton, NC in October. The competition event is sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Law Enforcement Explorers and is attended by other cadets from units across the state. When cadets are not competing or training, they serve the community at local events such as child identification programs, traffic control and parking assistance at the large community events such as festivals and parades.

In June of each year, cadets have the opportunity to attend the week-long Police Training Academy at Salemburg, NC.

For more information, contact Sergeant Randy Forster at 910-296-2150 or by email at randy.forster@duplincountync.com