From cadet to officer: can the police activities league be used as a recruiting tool for the San Francisco Police Department

Can the San Francisco Police Department use the Police Activities League cadet program as a recruiting tool? The San Francisco Police Department has had difficulty in recruiting qualified police officer candidates with a hiring success rate of four to ten percent. In this thesis, I evaluate the PAL cadet program by reviewing the qualifications and program experiences associated with the program. I identify and categorize qualities of a successful police applicant and challenges police agencies face finding these applicants. Finally, I conduct interviews in an attempt to gather additional data. With further collaboration between the SFPD and the PAL, and following certain recommendations, the PAL Cadet program is a potential recruitment resource for the SFPD.