Brooklyn Park, a thriving northwestern suburb of Minneapolis, is the sixth largest city in the state with over 86,000 residents and 30,000 jobs. As the 11th fastest growing city in Minnesota, the city has become even more vibrant because of our remarkable racial and cultural diversity. 54 percent of residents are people of color, 22 percent are foreign-born, and more than a quarter speak a language other than English at home.
The objective of the Police Cadet Program is to successfully prepare qualified candidates for future police officer positions. The Department assists the cadet by providing a school scholarship for the required educational program and by a part time, uniformed, paraprofessional position to orient the cadet to the Department's mission, policies, procedures, equipment, and methods of providing law enforcement services.
In return, the cadet shares his/her exceptional diversity skills to assist the Department with communicating, resolving conflicts, and better serving a diverse group in the community. Cadets will perform an assortment of paraprofessional tasks similar to community service officers, and other uniformed, non-sworn positions, along with job shadowing, patrol ride alongs, police training, and other police career preparation activity. Cadets do not have police powers until promoted to a police officer position.
Due to the unique nature of this position, it is limited in term and covered by a special, signed agreement. Police cadets are individuals the Police Department has conditionally committed to employ as peace officers as soon as they become qualified for such a position and the Department has an opening. If the cadet becomes unsuitable for promotion to police officer, the cadet will not be retained.
- Respond to 911 calls for animal control, parking, stalled vehicles, vehicle accidents, lockouts, littering, road conditions, signal issues, traffic control, property, shoplifting/theft projects, and bike thefts.
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Follow up or investigate open cases of any issues related to cadet duties.
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Write reports for calls responded to.
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Daily duties such as mail, running squads to shops and back, public fingerprinting, park patrol, fuel trailer cameras, supply runs, and food pick-up for detention center.
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Participate in community engagement events with the public.
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Perform special detail requests for the police department.
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Respond and assist officers on calls by impounding vehicles, traffic control, providing transportation, language translation, and inventorying property.
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Assist with evidence and property inventory.
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Perform park patrol and closing city parks.
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Build skills and establish the foundation of becoming a police officer by maintaining a full-time school status, attend mentorship ride-alongs, and pass benchmark exams.
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Sit at City Hall front counter and provide customer service.
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Performs other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
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Possess a high school diploma or the equivalent by September 1, 2026.
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Must be:
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A United States (US) citizen or
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Lawfully residing in the US with approval to work in the US
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To be promoted to police officer, candidate must be able to obtain lawful permanent residency (LPR) status, have completed the military naturalization process, or have a pending citizenship application on file with the federal government.
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Must successfully enroll in an approved law enforcement degree or certificate program, the Professional Peace Officer Education Program (PPOEP), offered by a local college or university. If you have already completed the PPOEP or already eligible to be licensed as a peace officer in Minnesota, or you are currently enrolled in a Skills or Certificate program, you are over-qualified for this position.
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Must immediately start full time college attendance upon hire and maintain a 2.00 GPA ("C" average) or better. The college scholarship will only pay for college expenses incurred after the date of hire.
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Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license with valid Minnesota driving privileges by date of hire.
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Must attend First Responder Training within two years of hire.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities-
Must be physically, medically, emotionally, and psychologically fit for full duty as determined by the City's occupational physician and police psychologist. Cadets must be able to safely perform all the tasks and responsibilities of the position and be fit and suitable for promotion to police officer.
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Finalists receiving a conditional job offer must pass a medical and psychological exam, as well as a drug test.
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Vision in each eye must be fully correctable to 20/20.
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No bars to licensure as a Minnesota peace officer. See the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board for details or call 651-643-3060.
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Must not be disqualified after a comprehensive and thorough background investigation.
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Must possess the desire to become a police officer and work as a police officer in Brooklyn Park.
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Possess one or more of the following exceptional diversity assets:
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Fluency in English and another language spoken in Brooklyn Park, or
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An advanced level of knowledge and understanding about a diverse group that resides or spends time in Brooklyn Park, or
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Significant connections to a diverse group in Brooklyn Park or the group's service providers that would be helpful to the Police Department in communicating, resolving conflicts, or building bridges with the group.
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Must be willing to work flexible or set schedules; shifts of up to 12 hours or longer; and nights, holidays, weekdays, and weekends.
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Must be able to work 20 to 28 hours per week.
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Must be willing to enter a career in which you may be called upon to use deadly force and your actions may result in the death of others.
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Must be willing to enter a career subject to personal dangers that can include infectious diseases, hazardous materials, physical assaults, inclement weather, persons intent on killing you, accidents, gunfire, and others.
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Must be willing to enter a career in which there is little room for error, subject to the highest level of accountability, including being videotaped while working and subject to severe civil, criminal, licensing, and administrative penalties for errors or misconduct.
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The Police Department wants to provide the best possible police service to our very diverse community through the recruitment of persons with exceptional diversity skills, knowledge, and connections.
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The Department is particularly seeking persons fluent in languages most frequently represented in the Department's use of translator services, such as Spanish, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese or Laotian. Official translator certification is especially desired.
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An advanced level of understanding and knowledge regarding the cultural challenges that face Brooklyn Park's "new Americans" (immigrants, refugees, and displaced persons).
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An existing commitment to pursue a career in law enforcement or policing, evidenced by educational preparation, paraprofessional jobs or volunteer positions in law enforcement agencies, prior employment as a peace officer or criminal justice professional in another country, or other previous police career preparation.
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Demonstrated ability to positively enhance understanding between diverse groups of people.
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Proven ability and demonstrated commitment to an inclusive workplace related to racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
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Ability to provide a level of customer service that meets or exceeds customer expectation and satisfaction
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Embrace and engage in cultural shift toward Continuous Improvement
Desired Qualifications-
College level coursework
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Fluency in Spanish, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Lao, or Vietnamese language(s).
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Experience working with people from various cultural, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
Equivalency
An equivalent combination of education and experience closely related to the duties of the position MAY be considered.
Working Conditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully and safely perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to fully and safely perform the essential duties.
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Core business hours are set by departments based on operational needs.
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Possible exposure to hazardous equipment, hazardous contaminants, hot or very cold temperatures
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Regular exposure to hazardous situations and conditions.
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Required to drive a vehicle, walk, speak intelligibly, hear, stand, frequently sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel, firmly grasp, reach with hands and arms, push, pull, twist, lift, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl and perform repetitive motions.
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Requires the regular lifting/moving 25-50 pounds, occasionally one hundred pounds, may be required to life/drag a victim.
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Must have specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
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Must be physically capable of completing a physical ability test on an ongoing basis.
Background Check
The City has determined that a criminal background check and/or qualifications check are necessary for this job title. Applicants are required to sign an informed consent form allowing the City to obtain their criminal history and/or verify their qualifications in connection with the position sought. Applicants who do not sign the informed consent form will not be further considered for the position.
Drug & Alcohol Testing/Medical Examination and Psychological Examination
All job applicants must pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol test/medical examination and psychological exam once a conditional offer of employment has been made. Applicants will be required to sign a notification and consent form prior to undergoing drug and alcohol testing. Applicants who do not consent to undergo drug and alcohol, medical and psychological testing will not be required to do so and the City will withdraw the conditional job offer, resulting in the job applicant no longer being considered for the position.
Selection Process
The selection process will consist of one or more of the following steps: a rating of relevant education and experience and/or an oral examination (100%). It is important that your application show all the relevant education and experience you possess. This information will be used to determine which candidates will proceed in the selection process. A submitted application is also used to verify the answers to any supplemental questions. Only those candidates who attain a passing score (70%) on each step in the selection process will be placed on the eligible list. Human Resources Department reserves the right to limit the number in any phase of the selection process.
Brooklyn Park is a thriving northwestern suburb of Minneapolis and the sixth largest city in the state with over 80,000 residents and 30,000 jobs. As the 11th fastest growing city in Minnesota, the city has become even more vibrant because of our remarkable racial and cultural diversity. Approximately 64 percent of our residents are people of color, 22 percent are foreign-born, and more than a quarter speak a language other than English at home.
Our Vision, Values and Goals
Department/Division
Police/Patrol
Anticipated Hiring Wage: $28.67 per hour is the anticipated starting wage, depending on qualifications. Full hourly pay range is $28.67 - $36.84 per hour. Uniforms and equipment provided. College scholarship provided for the educational program to prepare the Cadet for promotion to a licensed peace officer position.
Anticipated Schedule: Part- time, non-exempt, non-union position with a schedule tailored to school schedules, working 20-28 hours per week to include evening, weekday, weekend and holiday hours. Cadets are scheduled four days on, four days off, seven hours per day.
Part Time - Limited Benefits: Sick and vacation are earned at a pro-rated rate. PERA Life, Flex Spending, and Deferred Comp eligible. IMPORTANT NOTE: This position is not eligible for insurance benefits.
Important Dates: Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited to a phone screening the week of August 24. Candidates selected to move forward in the hiring process after the phone screening will be invited to in-person interviews September 1-4. Final candidates will be invited to Chiefs' interviews September 11 and 14.
We welcome applications from all individuals, including (but not limited to): people of all abilities, persons of color, Veterans, LGBTQ+ and women. If you need these materials in an alternate format or if you have a disability-related need and need assistance with the application process, please contact Human Resources at either 763-493-8016 or via e-mail at [email protected].
