NEW LONDON, CT – The New
London police Department’s Youth Cadets had their second official outing recently. Community Resource Officer Christine Nocito led the nine cadets to St. James Episcopal Church in downtown New London to help give out hundreds of Easter baskets and food to the local community. The Rev. Denise Cabana said it was great to have them helping out. “I think it’s amazing. Anytime we can get young people involved in the community is just incredible,” Cabana said. “I think young people get such a bad rap these days in so many ways and to get young people interested in giving back and getting involved and understanding the complexities of societies of people that struggle to makes ends meet and how you can make a difference is just really important especially in police work because that’s what it’s all about, it’s a complex
Job.” Nocito explained why the police department decided to start the cadet program “We wanted to partner with New London High School offering a cadet program, like there’s an ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) or something similar,” Nocito said. “So our students are New London High School students, freshman to senior. We actually have one senior who will be graduating this year. And we just wanted to open their eyes to law enforcement. Some of them have the interest to be law enforcement or
FBI or not quite sure either way and just wanted to get a glimpse in to how it all works out and the process.” The cadets all have official uniforms and attend trainings at the police station every Wednesday on all aspects of police work. Cadet Madison Williams, 16, said their first official outing was for the recent St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown New London where they were each assigned to a New London police officer and said it was exciting and something she had never done before. “I’ve never been in like a parade before. So, that was like very interesting to experience. And I was paired up with Chief,” Williams said. “It was fun, like we were blocking off where the cars couldn’t go. He likes to talk about a lot of things … (she laughs) … So, he was talking to us about certain stuff and telling us where to tell the cars to go so it was all pretty fun.” The cadet team was initially made up of 10 youth but one dropped out for personal reasons. Eight of the nine remaining cadets are young
Women. And although Bryan Cordona is the only male in the group and is by far the tallest cadet, he says they all treat one another the sam. He said that before he joined the cadets he also knew some of the others through school anyway, which made joining the group easier. He called it a very unique experience. “You learn more things about a police officer that you would never think of. And it helps me to understand more and appreciate all of the officers each day and each place,” he said. The cadet’s program is ongoing and serves as a recruitment effort – the department hopes that when the cadets graduate they will consider joining the New London Police Department. Nocito says that their time in the Youth Cadets will certainly help them meet the department’s qualifications for new recruits. Police Chief Brian Wright said that the cadet program plays a crucial role in bringing police and youth closer together in a community. “It helps break down barriers and build trust through positive interactions and understanding,” Wright said. “By providing young people with the opportunity to learn about law enforcement, develop leadership skills, and engage in community service, it fosters a sense of respect and cooperation. We believe the program creates a supportive environment that benefits both youth and police. It’s all about building bridges and nurturing positive relationships.” The New London Youth Cadets Program is one of many across the state as police departments and branches of the
MILITARY work to attract new recruits.