Since its beginning in 1972, the Cadet Training Program of the Maryland Natural Resources Police has provided the Agency with a continuing source of young personnel preparing to attend the Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) Academy. The objective of this program has been to provide these young employees with first-hand knowledge of the MNRP's various functions and responsibilities and to permit the MNRP to observe them in a variety of real-world situations prior to committing the expense of Academy training. The ultimate goal of the program is to acquire capable, well-motivated recruits for Academy training and to enable the MNRP to maintain an acceptable attrition rate over the years. Through careful selection and in-service monitoring and evaluation, we believe that our program is successful, and that our objectives are being met. The following paper describes our methods, experiences, and, to the degree possible, our results.
