The Maryland State Police has a unique, unclassified position available to young men and women between the ages of 17 and 19 who are high school graduates (at the time of hire). The main purpose of this position is to expose young men and women to the various duties and responsibilities of Maryland State Troopers and to better prepare them to become Troopers when they reach the age of 21. The starting salary for a Cadet is $23,796. While the starting salary for a cadet is modest, the most significant advantage to becoming a cadet is that your time as a cadet will count toward your retirement. This means that if you are hired as a cadet at the age of 17, you can retire from the State Police with a full pension before you turn 40!
Cadets are assigned to perform duties that do not require police authority. They are generally assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. Cadets will be assigned to work under the supervision of a Trooper at a truck inspection station or on patrol.
Cadet applicants are required to appear before a Maryland State Police
Recruiter at an initial interview where their basic qualifications can
be verified. If the applicant meets the basic requirements, an
application will be issued. Applicants completing and returning the
application to the Recruitment & Selection Staff may be entered into the hiring
process. In order to be hired, you must successfully complete
each of the following steps:
Failure to meet any of the pre-employment requirements will result in disqualification from the hiring process. Final approval and appointment to the Cadet Program is made by the Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.