A Tuscaloosa City committee approved a three-year police cadet and mentorship program intended to prepare participants to enter the police academy after graduation.

Unidentified Speaker 5, the presenter, described outreach plans including social media and high-school recruiting and said the program will include standard background checks and vetting. “After they complete and graduate the, cadet program, we will send them at that time to the police academy,” the presenter said.

Committee members asked whether recruits would have to meet the full physical-fitness standard immediately. The presenter said fitness requirements would be phased in: new hires would work toward the standard and ultimately be required to pass the physical test. The committee moved and approved the multi-year program by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were provided in the meeting record.

The program will include a modest pay increase in years two and three as participants advance through the cadet progression; specific budget amounts were not specified during the discussion.

What happens next: staff will implement outreach and vetting as described and proceed with the cadet progression approved by the committee.