Applications Open: 2026-2027

Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadets

Instilling leadership, integrity, and discipline in the youth of Philadelphia. Prepare for a career in law enforcement and serve your community.

Apply for Cadet Class Explore Training

Philadelphia Police Explorers, Post 991

A partnership between the Philadelphia Police Department and Learning for Life to build strong citizen leaders.

Our Goal & Philosophy

The goal of the Police Explorer Cadet Program is to teach young adults the values needed to succeed in a law enforcement career and in life.

"A chance to change, a direction in which to grow, a future on which to build, and a safe place to be."

The Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadet Program is designed to introduce young adult men and women 14 to 20 years of age interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement to the profession.

Philadelphia Police

Exploring Cadet Post

Self-Discipline

Developing behavioral control, personal responsibility, and strict adherence to moral guidelines.

Self-Confidence

Building physical readiness, public speech capabilities, and peer-leadership confidence.

Self-Respect

Fostering personal pride, absolute civic integrity, and deep respect for peers and authority.

Teamwork & Support

Embodying a dedicated unit focused on collaborative achievements and the desire to help others.

Explorer Cadet Qualifications

Review the exact eligibility requirements established by Post 991 and the Police Department.

Age Requirements

14 to 20 years of age. Applicants who are 14 years of age must be currently enrolled in high school. Minors under 18 must have signed parent/guardian consents.

Language Proficiency

Applicants must be able to speak, understand, read, and write the English language fluently.

Character & School Performance

Must maintain a passing behavior or character grade while in high school to stay in good standing with the Post.

Clean Background Check

Must have no arrests or convictions which would prohibit future employment as a police officer in the PPD.

Physical Health Standards

Must be in good physical health and fully able to participate in strenuous physical agility activities and running drills.

Saturday Session Commitment

Must attend mandatory Saturday training sessions at the Philadelphia Police Academy: Every Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

Career Progression

When Cadets reach their 20th birthday and desire to continue in public safety, they are encouraged to participate in the Philadelphia Police recruitment testing process.

Important: Cadets must have reached their 21st birthday at the time of graduating the Philadelphia Police Academy.

Start Online Intake Wizard

Explorer Cadet Training & Camps

Post 991 provides law enforcement training and experience through mentoring, classroom instruction, and hands-on drills.

External Specialized Training

PSP Youth Week

Pennsylvania State Police Cadet Week

York College, York PA (June)

An intensive six-day camp sponsored by the American Legion for sophomores and juniors. Designed to introduce cadets to all procedures of law enforcement, preparing them morally, intellectually, and physically to become future leaders of the commonwealth while instilling courage, honor, and commitment.

GAP Summer Camp

Ft. Indiantown Gap Summer Boot Camp

Gap Military Base (July)

Explorers stay for a full week at the military base, receiving intensive specialized training administered by active duty law enforcement, emergency service agencies, and the military. Key modules cover advanced law enforcement procedures alongside fire and water rescue techniques.

DC Tours & Training

Washington DC Educational & Training Tours

Washington D.C. (August)

A prestigious five-day trip offering hand-on training, expert lectures, and educational tours inside federal security bases. Hosts include the Metro Police, US Park Police, US Capitol Police, Secret Service, DEA, FBI, Postal Police, Prince George County PD, and Charles County Sheriff.

Some of the Training Includes

• Rules and Regulations

• Police History

• Ethics & Moral Issues

• PA Criminal Justice System

• PA Crime Code

• PA Motor Vehicle Code

• Search & Seizure

• Use of Force

• Firearms Safety

• Report Writing & Note Taking

• CPR & First Aid

• Handcuffing & Arrests

• Patrol Procedures

• Crowd & Traffic Control

• Crime Scene Search

• Tender Age Search

• Field Searches

• Control Substances Awareness

• Building Raids

• Accident Investigations

• Graphic Art / Sketches

• Honor Guard Training

• Water Rescue Training

• Crimes in Progress

• Radio Procedures

• Vehicle Investigations

• Domestic Disturbances

Police Explorer Cadet Responsibilities

Our cadets are privileged to provide official assistance during many high-profile ceremonies, safety for parades, and activities hosted by civic, private & city agencies:

✔ PPD Districts and Units

✔ FOP Lodge #5 Memorials

✔ Survivors 5k FOP Run

✔ Law Enforcement Memorial Run

✔ Hero Thrill Show (Wells Fargo)

✔ Special Olympics

✔ WAWA Welcome America 4th of July

✔ Mayfair/Holmesburg Thanksgiving

✔ Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day

✔ Mummers New Years Day Parade

✔ Funerals of Fallen Police Officers

✔ Polar Plunge

✔ Second Alarmers Support Details

✔ PPD Memorial Museum Events

✔ Pennypack Park Summer Concerts

✔ SOPA L.E.Torch Run

✔ Bullets & Centurions Toy Runs

✔ Youth Police Camp

✔ Police & Fire Memorial Mass

✔ PPD Special Needs Public Servant Fair

✔ P.A.L. Events

✔ Philadelphia Police Foundation

✔ Field Searches

✔ Traffic & Parking Details

✔ FBI National Academy Tours

Mission Statement

The mission of the Police Explorer Cadet Program is to guide young adults to a better path for the future through training, leadership, teamwork, discipline, friendship and to assist the Philadelphia Police Department and the citizens of Philadelphia through community service.

A chance to change, a direction in which to grow, a future on which to build, and a safe place to be.

Post #991 Benefits

Training, service, and career advantages earned through the Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadet Program.

Explorer Post Photo Gallery

A visual showcase of our cadets in active training, academic drills, and public service duties.

Academy Cadet Class

Explorer formation and uniform inspections on the Philadelphia Police Academy main drill deck.

Tactical & Agility Drills

Undergoing intensive law enforcement defense tactics and physical conditioning courses.

Civic Service & Toy Runs

Volunteering with PPD Recruits and charity parades to support families in the Philadelphia area.

View Official Flickr Photo Archive (100+ Photos)

Applications

Cadet Recruitment Center — complete our preliminary digital application below, or download official post forms to submit by mail.

Download Paper Application

Prefer traditional paper? You can download the physical explorer application pack, print it, fill out the details with signature consents, and mail it to our State Road office.

Official Post 991 Releases
Authorized by the Philadelphia Police Recruitment Unit & Learning for Life.

Loading documents…

Online Preliminary Application

1 Info

2 Background

3 Consent

4 Review

Last Name *

First Name *

Middle Name

Birth Date *

Age *

Sex *

Race *

Social Security Number *

Driver's License #

Home Address *

City *

State *

Postal Code *

Police District of Residence *

Home Phone # *

Cell Phone # *

E-Mail Address *

High School / College *

Grade *

YES or NO Required: Complete all seven background questions from PEC-991.

1. Have you ever been arrested (even as a juvenile)? *

2. Have you ever been questioned by a Law Enforcement Officer? *

3. Have you ever been part of the Diversion Program or ARD? *

4. Have you ever been accused or convicted of a crime? *

5. Have you ever had a case expunged? *

6. Have you ever been marked as truant? *

7. Did you fail / are you failing one or more classes this year? *

PEC-991 Certification

I certify that the information provided by me is true, complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and is made in good faith. I understand that if I make any misstatement I am subject to disqualification or dismissal from the program.

Police Explorer Cadet training is held EVERY Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The Insurance and registration fee is $50.00 a year (collected, if accepted) and probation uniforms are approximately $350.00. Every applicant under 18 years of age must have a parent present at testing and interviews. Filling out this form does not guarantee acceptance into the program. We will notify the applicant to schedule an appointment for the physical fitness test/interview.

Applicant Signature

Applicant Signature (type full legal name) *

Applicant Signature Date *

Parent / Guardian (required if applicant is under 18)

Mother

Mother Birth Date

Father

Father Birth Date

Parent / Guardian Signature (required if applicant is under 18)

Parent Signature Date

Physical Fitness / Agility Waiver and Release (PEC-991 page 2)
I agree to participate in the Physical Fitness/Agility testing conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department / Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadet Program as part of applicant acceptance. I understand this test is difficult and physically demanding, and I will advise the City of Philadelphia of any injuries, pre-existing conditions, or physical limitations that could be aggravated. I understand I had the opportunity to consult with a physician prior to testing (or chose not to do so). I assume all risk and liability for losses, damages, personal injuries, or death that may occur while participating. I release the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadet Program, including officers, agents, employees, and authorized volunteers, from claims, suits, or demands arising from participation in the physical agility test, including claims of negligence.

I have read and agree to the Physical Fitness/Agility Waiver and Release above. *

Application Summary

Please review every answer below before you submit.

By clicking submit, your application will be loaded into the post applicant database. Our recruitment officer will contact you within 5 business days.

Contact Headquarters

Reach out to our post coordinators for scheduling, Saturday schedules, or volunteer requirements.

Post #991 Location

Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadets
8501 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136

Phone Number

(215) 685-8160

Email Support

police.explorers@phila.gov

STATE RD (ROUTE 13)

PPD Explorers Control Center

Administrative Console

Recruits Roster

Social Security numbers are not shown here or in CSV export. Use View PDF for the full PEC-991 intake form.

Date	Candidate Name	School & Grade	Background (PEC-991)	Parent / Guardian	Status / Actions

No cadet registrations have been received yet.

Downloadable Forms

Add, edit, or remove PDF forms shown in the Cadet Recruitment download catalog on the public site.

Add New Downloadable Form

Form Display Title *

Sub-label / Metadata *

Downloaded Filename *

File Path / Source URL *

Browse PDF...

Uploads ≤ 10 MB. PDF only. Stored server-side under media/documents/.

Active Forms

Order	Title	Sub-label	Filename	Source	Actions

Storage Maintenance

Scans media/documents/ for PDFs that no longer appear in any active form record and lets you delete them. Files referenced by an active form are always kept. Preview first — nothing is deleted until you confirm.

Edit the online application wizard text in separate sections below. Form field IDs and submission data keys are fixed; only labels and copy change. Add * in a field label to mark it required on the public form; labels without * are optional.

Form Header

Wizard Title

Wizard Subtitle

Wizard Steps & Buttons

Step 1 Label

Step 2 Label

Step 3 Label

Step 4 Label

Back Button

Next Button

Submit Button

Success Screen

Success Title

Success Message

Submit Another Button

Applicant Confirmation Email

Sent to the applicant after they submit. Placeholders: {firstName}, {lastName}, {fullName}, {email}, {id}, {date}

Email Subject

Email Body

Public Contact Email

Email address shown in the homepage Contact section under “Email Support”. Does not change notification recipients.

Email Support Display

Recruitment Status

Drives the public-site status banner. Visible to every visitor.

Intake Status

Banner Text

Responsibilities List

Edit the homepage Responsibilities event list. Items display in three columns; a partial last row is centered automatically.

Section Title

Introduction

Social Media (Facebook & YouTube)

Homepage cards link out to Facebook and YouTube (no embedded feeds). Paste full https:// URLs only.

Section heading

Section intro

Facebook page URL

YouTube URL

Facebook card thumbnail

YouTube card poster image Relative paths under media/ (self-hosted; keeps CSP strict).

Mission Statement

Shown below the responsibilities event list on the homepage.

Heading

Mission text

Philosophy quote

Post #991 Benefits

Edit the Post #991 Benefits list on the homepage (navy panel below Responsibilities).

Section heading

Site Images

Upload local files or set image URLs for the homepage hero, training cards, and favicon.

Home Hero Background

Displayed in the top welcome banner.

Choose Local Image...

- OR -

PSP Youth Week Card

Pennsylvania State Police York College camp.

Picture Bubble Tag

Event Header

Event Date / Location

Choose Local Image...

- OR -

Ft. Indiantown Gap Camp

Summer military base boot camp card.

Picture Bubble Tag

Event Header

Event Date / Location

Choose Local Image...

- OR -

Washington D.C. Tours

Federal agency tours card.

Picture Bubble Tag

Event Header

Event Date / Location

Choose Local Image...

- OR -

Site Favicon

Browser tab icon (ICO, PNG, JPG, or WebP).

Choose Favicon Image...

Reset to Defaults

Restore hero, training images, training card text, responsibilities, mission statement, program benefits, and favicon to factory defaults on the server. Does not change recruitment status, forms, or applications.

Recipients

Email addresses that receive new explorer cadet applications and inquiries.

Add Recruiter Email Address

Active Notification Accounts

Test Mailer

Send a probe message to verify your SMTP / cPanel mail delivery is reaching the destination inbox.

Destination Account

System Connection Log

[System Log] Mailer initialized. Ready to broadcast application triggers.

Visitor Analytics

Today —

Last 7 days —

Last 30 days —

All time (stored) —

Page views from the public site. Bots and Railway healthchecks are filtered server-side. Stored in private/visitors.json (never shown on the public footer).

When	IP address	Page	Browser / device

Mail Server

Configure how the server sends application notifications and test messages. Settings are stored in private/mail_config.json (never exposed on public pages). SMTP password is not shown after save; leave the password field blank to keep the current one.

Delivery mode

From email *

From name

Reply-To

SMTP host *

SMTP port

Encryption

SMTP username

SMTP password

Test email must go to an address on the Notifications recipient list unless test_email_allow_arbitrary is enabled in config.

Email Dispatch Log

Every outbound message is recorded with source IP, recipients, and result. Suspicious rows may indicate abuse. Stored in private/mail_dispatch.json (latest 1000).

When	Result	Type	Source IP	To	Subject	Actor

Signed in

—

Console users

Usernames are one word (letters, numbers, and underscores, up to 10 characters). Passwords must be at least 10 characters. Only Super Admin can edit or delete accounts. Super Admins and Managers are signed out after changing their own username, real name, or password (including via Security → Change Password).

Real name	Username	Email	Role	Status	Actions

Role permissions

Choose a role, adjust checkboxes, then save. Super Admin always has full access and cannot be edited here.

Role

Admin Password

Change your console password. The new password is hashed (Argon2id) server-side and the current password is never displayed.

Current Password *

New Password *

Confirm New Password *

After saving, your session ends and you must log in again with the new password.

Hidden Admin URL

The admin console is unlisted. Use this URL to access it — bookmark it, or rotate the keyword anytime to invalidate older links.

Secret Path Keyword

Use a long random keyword on production (not admin-console). Staff must update bookmarks after you save.

Your Admin Console URL

Rate Limits

Tune the per-IP and global rate caps the server enforces. Edits are saved atomically to private/rate_limit_overrides.json and override the values in private/config.php. Leave a field blank to fall back to the file default. If you are locked out locally, use php scripts/clear_rate_limits.php from the repo root (not a browser URL).

Security alert email When login rate limits are exceeded or an account is locked after failed attempts, the server emails this address using your configured mail server (Mail & Logs). Leave blank to disable alerts. Duplicate alerts are suppressed for 15 minutes.

Loading current limits…

Backups & Migration

Export or import public site content (hero/training images, favicon URLs, training card text, responsibilities list, recruitment banner, and contact email). Custom uploads in media/custom/ are included in the ZIP. This does not include applications, mail/SMTP settings, or config.php.

Import site content Accepts .zip or .ppd-backup (JSON bundle when ZIP is unavailable on export). Some hosts block .json uploads; use the .ppd-backup file from export as-is. Overwrites private/content.json and private/site_settings.json on this server. Merges files into media/custom/ (existing files with the same name are replaced).

Download a full MySQL dump (users, roles, permissions, audit log). Restore via phpMyAdmin or your host’s import tool. Requires MySQL to be configured in private/config.php.

Login Activity

Monitor failed sign-ins, IP rate limits, and account lockouts. Unblock a user from the Accounts log if they were locked by mistake. Stored in private/security_events.json.

User	Failed	Locked until	Status	Action

When	Event	IP address	User	Details

Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadets

Philadelphia Police Explorers, Post 991

Our Goal & Philosophy

Self-Discipline

Self-Confidence

Self-Respect

Teamwork & Support

Explorer Cadet Qualifications

Age Requirements

Language Proficiency

Character & School Performance

Clean Background Check

Physical Health Standards

Saturday Session Commitment

Career Progression

Explorer Cadet Training & Camps

External Specialized Training

Pennsylvania State Police Cadet Week

Ft. Indiantown Gap Summer Boot Camp

Washington DC Educational & Training Tours

Some of the Training Includes

Police Explorer Cadet Responsibilities

Mission Statement

Post #991 Benefits

Explorer Post Photo Gallery

Academy Cadet Class

Tactical & Agility Drills

Civic Service & Toy Runs

Applications

Download Paper Application

Online Preliminary Application

Applicant Signature

Parent / Guardian (required if applicant is under 18)

Application Summary

Application Submitted!

Contact Headquarters

Post #991 Location

Phone Number

Email Support

Explorer Cadet Post

Stay Connected

Facebook

YouTube

Recruits Roster

Downloadable Forms

Add New Downloadable Form

Active Forms

Storage Maintenance

Form Header

Wizard Steps & Buttons

Success Screen

Applicant Confirmation Email

Public Contact Email

Recruitment Status

Responsibilities List

Social Media (Facebook & YouTube)

Mission Statement

Post #991 Benefits

Site Images

Home Hero Background

PSP Youth Week Card

Ft. Indiantown Gap Camp

Washington D.C. Tours

Site Favicon

Reset to Defaults

Recipients

Active Notification Accounts

Test Mailer

System Connection Log

Visitor Analytics

Mail Server

Email Dispatch Log

Signed in

Console users

Role permissions

Admin Password

Hidden Admin URL

Rate Limits

Backups & Migration

Login Activity