Running Head: K.C.

Kid Cops

Dayzi Maldonado

Arizona State University Downtown Campus

KID COPS 2

Abstract

This ethnography is going to be about the Phoenix Police Cadets and what truly makes them a

community rather than just another club or organization to join. There will also be various bits of

information about the history of the Cadets and what is truly important to the group in general.

Keywords: Cadets, Phoenix, Community, Police

KID COPS 3

Kid Cops

Everyone has a different perspective on law enforcement. Some people absolutely adore

police officers while, others do everything they can to avoid them at all costs. At the end of the

day, police officers are here to protect the community against potential danger and even

themselves at times. Growing up in a police family, I was totally intrigued with everything that

had to do with becoming an officer. It was not until, one day, I was skipping through my

Snapchat stories and saw one of my friends hanging on the back of a swat car. I was

dumbfounded yet so curious on why she was even near a swat car. She informed me about the

Phoenix Police Cadets, and essentially called them, “Kid Cops.” Yet, that one little phrase does

not describe the community well enough or accurately. Yes, the Cadets do consist of “children”

but they are not actual police officers with badges and a gun on their waist. The Phoenix Police

Cadets are a group of young adults that

either aspire to pursue a future in law

enforcement or are just interested to see

how law enforcement works from the

inside and what goes into becoming a

police officer (N.A., 2018). When one is

within this community, it is amazing to see how much of a family they are with each other.

Considering that these are a variety of people from different paths of life, schools, backgrounds,

etc., they all figure out how to get along with each other and how to act as one. From the

following information and insights, I am hoping that whomever reads this ethnography will

realize that police officers only want the best for anyone and everyone at the end of the day and

that wanting to pursue a career in law enforcement is not a bad thing.

KID COPS 4

The Phoenix Police Cadets are not the only group out there training young adults, in fact,

there are hundreds nationwide that have adopted this idea of influencing the youth. Almost every

city, county, or local law enforcement across the United States have some sort of Cadet/Explorer

group. Now, there is a difference between being an Explorer and being a Cadet. An Explorer is

associated with the Boy Scouts of America while the Cadets have gone off on their own yet, they

are essentially the same thing because they both have the same motives and goals. Exploring

dates to 1935 when it began as a senior program in Boy Scout troops. Eventually, it made its way

to becoming an independent foundation in 2013, leading to the number of participating agencies

nationwide that we see today (N.A., 1991-2016). The Phoenix Police Cadets have gone through

several changes throughout the years from beginning with only a few members and not having

very much funding or advertisement towards the community to having over eighty members now

with a significant amount of funding, as well as, having the recognition that they deserve and

have earned. The Cadets try to focus primarily on police work from all field and community

involvement. This is done by requiring, at least, eight hours minimum of community service

hours each month for each Cadet by completing details, which are events that they can attend to

meet these requirements.

I proceeded to attend a few of the meetings that are held on every Tuesday of the month

by the Cadets. As I arrived at one of the two meeting locations, Phoenix Police Headquarters, it

was not hard to find. The small building with a huge Phoenix Police logo on the side on the

corner of 7th Avenue and Washington was one you could not miss. When I finally found parking,

I walked into the small lobby area and noticed the officer looking at me from behind a piece of

glass. I approached the window, told the officer why I was there, and he, simply, opened the door

for me. I made my way through the second lobby that was behind the glass which extended every
KID COPS 5

which way. I got on the elevator and pressed ‘B’ because the Cadets meet in the basement of 620

due to the amount of space that they need to contain everyone. I was greeted by the Command

Staff, the hierarchy of the Cadets, and felt very welcome. They made sure to inform me about

what was going to happen in the meeting, as well as, each of their roles in the Cadets as a

sergeant, lieutenant, etc. I began to see all the Cadets and Recruits arrive in their uniform. It was

a PC night, meaning that they were going to be doing

some sort of exercise for the night. Therefore, the

uniform for that night was a black long sleeve,

sweats, and athletic shoes. I noticed that some of the

Cadets were arriving out of uniform and I began to

wonder how they were going to be able to participate

in jeans and flip-flops. As soon as the Command Staff

noticed this infraction, they took the time to make

sure they were in the right uniform and they were able

to participate for the night. Before the meeting

officially started, I went out to get a feel of what it is like to be amongst the Cadets and I was

blown away. I had thought that everyone was going to be, somewhat, uptight and not

controversial but it was the total opposite. There were Cadets laughing with others, telling jokes,

and just getting along with each other as if they were a family. As time went on, the meeting

finally began and the Advisor, the adult in charge of the Cadets, began to call everyone into

formation and began to split everyone up into smaller groups so that everyone gets a taste of

each exercise. Once everyone was split, I tagged along with one group and they started with a

running exercise. The night went on and, eventually, everything was completed. No one was
KID COPS 6

judged for being slower than another or laughed at but, they were encouraged and cheered on to

finish what they had started, which I found heartfelt.

During this process, I also interviewed by close friend, Mirschan Daniel. He has been

involved with the community for about four years now and I thought he would be a good

resource for insight into the community. One of most

important questions that I asked him was, “What makes

the Cadets more than just another group/club but, rather,

a community?” He did not hesitate or even have to think

about his answer, “The Cadets have been an important

part of my life for some time now and, I have been able

to develop a number of relationships with multiple

people. I don’t think of the Cadets as a group or club or

really even a community but, as a family (Personal

Interview, 2018).” My follow-up question being, “What makes the Cadets a ‘family?’” He

answered, “The Advisors go out of their way to find out how you’re doing in your life outside of

Cadets, as well as, develop a relationship with you, almost like friends. Also, everyone is so nice

and open to meeting new people. I have developed some friendships through this program that, I

know, will last a lifetime (Personal Interview, 2018).” I found both responses to be, somewhat,

surprising. From the outside, the Cadets look, as if, they are always serious and not a friendly

bunch but that is exactly what they are not. At the end of the day, this community is made up of

young adults who are all about the same age with common interests so, eventually, they have to

start getting along with each other and start working together to achieve their common goal.
KID COPS 7

The Phoenix Police Cadets like to focus on the methods and procedures that are used in

police work while teaching the Cadets about being a police officer. They go through a series of

scenarios such as traffic stops, domestic violence calls, and even crime-scene investigation. Each

of these has its own set of procedures to be followed depending on the situation. This is vital in

police work that an individual knows how to approach a situation and be able to take charge of it.

A police officer that knows that they are

doing based off what they have been trained

rather than an officer that is just acting off

his instincts, can make a different in the

situation on how it is resolved and

handled. “Research revealed that

community policing officers were quicker to

identify conventional law enforcement problems than “quality of life” conditions, and success in

identifying and handling problems was more a result of the officer's personal ability than the

training programs provided (McElroy, Cosgrove, & Sadd, 1993). This implies that officers'

abilities (e.g., experience, skills, and knowledge of neighborhood problems) may affect their

proactivity in performing problem-focused activities. One would thus expect that officers'

willingness to engage in problem-focused efforts stems primarily from confidence in their own

skills and experience (Sun, 2003, pg. 265-277).” This means that what every officer learns is,

essentially, what he/she takes out into the street with them and will decide if they handled the

situation correctly or not. So, the Cadets can make mistakes now so that, in the future, they will

know how to correctly handle a certain scenario.

KID COPS 8

There were a variety of things that were specific to this community alone. From their

very distinct locations of either the Phoenix Police Headquarters Downtown to the Phoenix

Police Academy at South Mountain, these two places really allow the Cadets to experience what

it is like to be a part of the law enforcement community and gives them a once in a lifetime

chance to practice in these very environments. I also noticed that their uniforms were very

important to them. The Cadets have about four different uniforms, from Class A Long/Short or

Class B Black/Gray to exercise clothes. Depending on what is happening at the meeting, the

uniform will allow each Cadet to be able to participate without any difficulties. Their Class A is

known as a “blue shirt” and is what a Cadet wears once he/she finishes the Academy and is more

of the ‘formal’ attire for the group. The Class B is the more comfortable uniform that the Cadets

get to wear when they are in training a majority of the time. But what makes the uniform so vital

to the community is that it allows each Cadet to show what they have accomplished, as well as,

provides the community with an image of being a union. Aside from attending meetings and

going to details in order to get community service hours, one event that the Cadets look forward

to every summer is the Academy. The Academy is a smaller version of the real police academy

but packed into two weeks, where Cadets from all over Arizona get up early, exercise, get yelled

at, and get pushed to their limits. But, it is at the end of the Academy, when one receives his/her

blue uniform that makes everything worth it. The Academy is something that every Cadet must

undergo and will never forget.

The Cadets are a group that no one wants to mess with, period. They truly do care for one

another as if they were brothers and sisters, which ties into the law enforcement community

beautifully. Anyone with eyes can see how much each Cadet cares for another, as well as the
KID COPS 9

Advisors too. They really do not have

many obstacles to face against except

criticism from friends, family, or even the

community in which they serve. The

community is focused on what they need

to get done and what their surrounding

community needs from them and how they can help. So, at the end of the day, the Cadets are not

just some group that anyone can join; they are one big family looking for more members to join

them.
KID COPS 10

References

Daniel, M. (2018, September). Personal Interview

Sun, Ivan. (2003). Officer proactivity: A comparison between police field training officers and

non-field training officers. ScienceDirect, 31. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-

com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/science/article/pii/S0047235203000072

N.A. (2018). About Us. Exploring.org, Retrieved from https://www.exploring.org/about-us/

N.A. (2018). Phoenix Police Cadet Program, City of Phoenix. Retrieved from

https://www.phoenix.gov/police/cadets