How to join Houston police as cadet

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo welcomed 65 cadets to the force during a ceremony on Tuesday. He expressed on Monday his frustration with the department dealing with a staffing shortage.

There are currently 5,100 officers in the department which serves a population of 2.5 million people. Chief Acevedo would like to welcome 2,000 more officers to protect and serve.

The learning process is far from over for the cadets as they have six more months of training in the field.

One of the great highlights for the cadets was the opportunity for their families to see them get that badge on their chest.

For anyone who feels inspired to be one of Houston's finest, they need to have at least one of the following three qualifications:

• At least 48 semester hours of credit from an accredited college or university with at least a 2.0 grade point average
• A minimum of 18 months active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces with an honorable discharge
• At least five years of full-time employment as a licensed peace officer

Other requirements include U.S. citizenship.

For more information about becoming cadet with HPD, visit http://www.hpdcareer.com/.