THE STUDY WAS TO ACQUIRE INFORMATION ABOUT EXISTENT OR CONTEMPLETED CADET PROGRAMS. OF SPECIAL INTEREST WAS THE VALUE OF THESE PROGRAMS AS A POLICE RECRUITMENT DEVICE. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO 98 LARGE CITIES AND FIELD TRIPS WERE MADE TO 10 SELECTED CITIES TO EXAMINE SOME EXISTING PROGRAMS IN DETAIL. A SURVEY OF LITERATURE ON CADET PROGRAMS PRODUCED MEAGER RESULTS. DURING THE FIELD TRIPS THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS OF CADET PROGRAMS WERE EXPLORED AND REPORTED ON - NATURE AND PURPOSE OF CADET PROGRAMS; CADET RECRUITMENT; CADET REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING EDUCATIONAL, MENTAL ABILITY AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS; CADET SERVICE PERIOD. JOB ASSIGNMENTS; CADET PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND WORK REQUIREMENTS AND CADET STATUS AND UNIFORMS. OF THE 98 QUESTIONNAIRES ORIGINALLY SENT OUT, 92 RESPONSES WERE RECEIVED, INCLUDING THOSE FROM ALL MAJOR CITIES. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS SUMMARIZED AND PRESENTED. THE SCOPE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE INCLUDED THE NUMBER AND AGE OF PROGRAMS, NUMBER OF CADETS LURED AND THOSE THAT BECAME REGULAR PATROLMEN; REASONS WHY SOME PROGRAMS WERE DROPPED THE MILITARY DRAFTING OF CADETS; CADET RESIGNATIONS (DROPOUTS) AND MISCONDUCT AND THE REASONS WHY A CITY OR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS, OR IS CONTEMPLATING, A CADET PROGRAM. THE RESEARCH SUMMARIZED IN THIS PAPER WAS SUPPORTED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1965.