Houston City Council approved a Cadet Recruiting Incentive Program allowing cadets enrolled in the next four classes to receive monetary incentives.

A $12,000 incentive will be effective for the March and May cadet classes, while an $8,000 incentive will apply to the June and August classes.

Once a police trainee agrees to a five-year commitment of service, he/she will receive $6,000 within 30 days of beginning the academy. The remaining $6,000 will be paid after successful completion of the academy, TCLEOSE (Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education) certification and passing of the Civil Service examination. The same schedule for the $8,000 incentive applies, half at the beginning and half at the end of training.

In the event an officer leaves before the completion of the five-year commitment, the repayment will be reduced pro rata at a rate of 20 percent of the principal remaining for every full year served.

Our goal at the HPD is to hire close to 700 police officers over the next thee years. We have seven cadet classes budgeted in fiscal year 2009 and four classes for fiscal year 2010. That is an aggressive schedule with new classes starting approximately every seven weeks. The next four cadet classes are scheduled to begin on the following dates:

Cadet Class 198 - March 17
Cadet Class 199 - May 12
Cadet Class 200 - June 30
Cadet Class 201 - August 18

For more information on joining the Houston Police Department, citizens are encouraged to contact the Recruiting Unit at 713-308-1300 or visit www.hpdcareer.com.