In a nutshell
The cadet program, approved at a March 24 City Council meeting, will cover participant’s certification training at a police academy and offer a minimum salary of $43,000 annually, Katy Police Chief Bryon Woytek said in an email. The average police academy typically costs $3,000-$4,000.
Cadets must complete at least two years of consecutive employment with the city after completing their certification, according to agenda documents.
The Katy Police Department currently has three vacancies, Woytek said.
Why it matters
Since the Katy Police Department doesn’t have its own police academy, Woytek said the city depends on applicants to come from various college police academies or from another law enforcement agency. He said he believes the cadet program will allow the city to be competitive when hiring new officers.
“As every agency is short and recruiting the same cadets from the same academies, it is a very competitive market and most cadets are either being sponsored or hired by an agency within the first month of the academy,” he said in an email. “Being able to recruit an applicant before they apply to an academy gives us more people to look at for the job.”
Looking ahead
The city began interviews for the cadet positions at the beginning of this year and has chosen two applicants to sponsor to attend the Gus George Academy in May, Woytek said.
The program can have no more than three cadets at a time and will be used to fill vacancies in the future as needed, according to agenda documents.
