Max the Cadet

A while ago, Max showed deep interest in becoming a police officer. The interest hung on for a long time, to the point where he was researching on-line to watch videos of what it was like to be a cop (reality TV shows ain’t it) and how to do various jobs cops are expected to do.

Last fall, through the school, I heard that the Oakland County Sheriff Department has a cadet program for young people. If they’re accepted into the program, they start actual training as police officers and perform police-related jobs that are age-appropriate for them. It doesn’t pay, but it does let you know what police work is like and if it’s something you really want to do—in time to find another career, in case you don’t like it. And the program is a resume builder.

Max enthusiastically applied, and some weeks later, he got a notice that he’d been accepted. We were very proud around here.

This Saturday, he goes to the training program, which is an all-day thing. He’s both excited and nervous. We’ll see how it goes!