Marshwood High School students thinking about a career in law enforcement or emergency response can join the South Berwick Police Department’s Cadet Program described by one cadet as “one of the best things I’ve done.”
Recruits get to wear a cadet uniform and a belt with handcuffs while they also tackle physical fitness tests, study internal communication codes, ride along in a police cruiser, write incident reports and learn the value of community service.
Officer Paul Goldsmith, one of the department’s newest hires, developed the South Berwick Police Cadet Program as a composite of similar teen opportunities such as Junior ROTC, along with some components of the law enforcement courses offered at the Sanford Regional Technical Center. Goldsmith was with the Sanford Police Department for 10 years before joining the South Berwick department last year.
The cadet program “provides the tools to succeed in school, work and career, but more importantly the tools to define your identity, establish community, and direction that will drive you to succeed your entire life,” according to a promotional flyer Goldsmith developed.
First held in the summer of 2025, the program for students in Grades 9-12 runs one day a week for four to six hours from mid-June through mid-August, with monthly connections throughout the school year. Parents must give approval for a student to join the program.
Students participating must buy their own black pants and black boots and learn the proper police boot polishing technique, Goldsmith said. The department provides hats and t-shirts displaying the cadet logo designed by Goldsmith and a friend.
“I made the logo as a combination of SBPD uniform patch and badge with a State of Maine feel to it,” he said.
The program format includes on-the-job training, classroom education, and physical fitness sessions.
During ride-alongs, cadets and the training officer follow another police officer conducting a motor vehicle stop, listen to the radio communication, take notes and learn to how write up a police report.
The classroom portion covers the basic 10-codes used by public safety communications officials, such as 10-4 for “affirmative” and 10-7 for “out of service.” Training also involves understanding the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution, how and when to use handcuffs, plus basic weapon safety but without actual access to weapons.
“Our goal is to help cadets learn to make good choices and understand what an officer would do in any situation.” Goldsmith said.
The physical fitness component begins early in the program. Cadets undergo a fitness screening by completing a mix of timed pushups and sit-ups. They continue fitness training throughout the program, going on hikes or running on the high school track. The tests are based on those required for police officers seeking employment, though the cadets do not have a required time.
Last year, seven male and female students enrolled in the program, with at least four or five at each session as they navigated around summer sports and family trips. All cadets improved their fitness scores by the end of the summer, Goldsmith said.
“Our goal isn’t a specific time but to make an improvement,” he added.
If students occasionally get answers wrong on a test, Goldsmith said, he might assign 10 burpees – a two-part exercise that includes a pushup followed by a leap in the air – as another way to encourage learning and improve fitness.
Cadets also get involved in community service.
“If a local church has a food drive we may help out, and I try to find other community service opportunities as well,” said Goldsmith.
The program develops leadership potential and provides incentive to live drug, tobacco and alcohol free, according to his flyer. Students learn to do job interviews, and some cadets are ready for supervisory roles when they complete the program.
One graduate of last summer’s program is now a firefighter in another Maine town.
“We’ve had very good feedback. The kids loved it and wanted the days to last longer,” Goldsmith said of last year’s training sessions. One cadet described the overall experience as “educational, social, exciting.” Another student noted cadets learned not only about a career in law enforcement but “learned tactics used by local law enforcement as well.”
During the school year Goldsmith works with the Marshwood High School resource officer, a South Berwick police officer assigned to the school, who connects Goldsmith to cadets about once a month. Students can continue in the program until they graduate.
Eighth graders going into ninth grade may also be eligible to join, based on an interview to determine their interest and maturity level, he said.
Interested students can reach out to Goldsmith by email at pgoldsmith@sbpd.us to set up a screening process. Accepted individuals will complete an application in addition to the initial screening and undergo further evaluation.
