REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- Rehoboth Beach Police are looking for the next group of people who want to consider pursuing a career in law enforcement. A COVID plagued summer allowed police cadets to experience being an officer in a very different way, which police say has been rewarding so far. Police are not just worrying about protecting themselves each day, but their jobs haven't changes as much as others might have. Rehoboth Beach Police say they had to ask the officers to continue to do their job in person, it's one that can't be done from home, like many others. Police have continued to serve and protect through the pandemic now more than ever. Though officers did make some small changes to the way they approach situations. Lt. Jamie Riddle, with the Rehoboth Beach Police Department said, "Communicating and handle complaints outside versus inside. If we can get that complaint to an outside environment where they're not inside that's something that we encourage our members to do." Not only have full time officers experienced changes, so have the seasonal ones that can be found all throughout Rehoboth Beach in the summer months. Lt. Will Sullivan, with Rehoboth Beach Police said, "It's been in existence since the 70s and many of those officers, quite a few have gone on to have rewarding careers in, as full time police officers, not only locally but within the United States." Applications are now available for cadets to apply online. Lieutenant Sullivan says it has been a slower process this year, but the department is looking for people looking to join their team. This summer cadets helped full time officers in handling situations where people refused to wear masks, informing people of the local and state laws, and also have the capabilities to make arrests if needed. Over the summer cadets also helped hand out over 25,000 masks. The police department says being a part of law enforcement is about protecting and serving the ones you know and love, no matter the obstacles in the way. Riddle said, "And it doesn't matter whether it's with a suspect or whether it's with a health concern, they go out and they do the same thing everyday and if you can't appreciate that, getting to see it first hand, I don't know what you can appreciate." Cadets work one on one with full time officers during their time in the city. And while officers acknowledged the job is rewarding, over the summer cadets were fatigued about how much and how often they needed to remind people of the new mandates that state had in place. The department says cadets need to be 19 years old by June 1st. Applications can be found on the city's website, filled out and returned to the police department.
Rehoboth Beach Police Look to Hire 26 Seasonal Cadets
