Every summer, Montreal’s police department sends its most fresh-faced cadets to patrol Ste. Catherine Street. For police headquarters, it’s a way to train their newest recruits and ensure a police presence on the street without shelling out for real, fully-salaried traffic cops. For the cadets, who are sometimes known as “baby cops,” it’s more like a hazing ritual. Baby cops, you see, are entirely powerless: they can’t issue tickets and they can’t arrest anyone — they can only call for backup. Their job is to attempt, as best as they can, to control a river of downtown pedestrians swollen far beyond its normal size by the summer heat.
It’s entertaining to watch them. Montrealers normally waste no opportunity to cross against a red light, but they generally become more obedient when a police cadet is around. Even then, though, just about every red light involves a lot of whistle-blowing and a cadet yelling at someone to stay out of the street. In most cases, when pedestrians ignore the cadets and cross anyway, the cadet does nothing but look annoyed. On a few occasions, however, I’ve seen them break down and start screaming at the jaywalkers at the top of their lungs. If they can’t handle the stress of a summer afternoon on Ste. Catherine, can that really be a good sign for what’s to come?
Still, I have to give them my respect, especially considering the amount of taunts and verbal abuse they must put up with. It takes a lot to stand there, with about as much authority as an elementary school crossing guard, and try to shepherd a huge flock of unruly pedestrians. In fact, I respect them enough to actually wait for the light to change. Sometimes.
Originally posted on Urbanphoto on November 17, 2007
3 comments
Are you sure cadets are [necessarily] recruits in training? I have asked a cadet once if she was in a police academy and she told me it was just a summer job and she did not intend to join the force.
It seems as if it’s the police equivalent of being an intern. You’re right that they aren’t actually recruits but the SPVM advertises the cadet program as a pre-recruitment activity:
The police cadet program was established in 1992 to allow students who are considering a career with the police force to acquire some pertinent work experience.
It also give them the opportunity to determine whether they are comfortable with the job.
Working as a police cadet is also an excellent way to improve your chances of eventually being hired as an SPVM officer: about 35% of cadets who applied were hired as officers by the SPVM.
To prepare for your role as a police cadet, you will be given a 45-hour training program. The Service will provide the uniforms and equipment you need for the job.
You can work as a cadet part-time all year round as long as you are a full-time student.
http://www.spvm.qc.ca/en/carrieres/5_1_3_1_programme.asp
The Cadet program allows students from Police programs in college to experience the job of an officer without having the rights and authority of it. In other words, you could apply to be a cadet even if your not planing on to go to the police academy. But the SPVM hires the students in the police programs first and then hires the rest of it if they still have places left.And by the way, cadets do have the power to tickets for parked cars,I guess