• Home
  • About BlueSheepdog
    • Index
    • Privacy Policy
    • Online Resources
  • Police Training Articles
    • Field Training Officer
    • Firearms Training Articles
    • General Training Articles
    • Officer Safety Training Articles
  • Gear Reviews
    • Gear Reviews
    • Gun Reviews
    • Flashlight Reviews
    • Knife Reviews & Information on Knives
    • Review Policy
  • Blog

Blue Sheepdog

Police Gear Reviews, Training and Officer Safety Tips.

You are here: Home / Gear and Holsters / Primary Arms Cadet Program – Helping New Officers Afford the Job

Primary Arms Cadet Program – Helping New Officers Afford the Job

By Richard

Reducing Police Academy Cost

Image: Primary Arms

Attending the police academy can be very expensive for anyone not yet employed by a law enforcement agency. Beyond the tuition costs, recruits often must buy their own firearms, ammunition, uniforms, duty gear and more.

To assist academy recruits, Primary Arms announced the new Cadet Program through its Primary Arms Government division. The new program is designed to help aspiring law enforcement officers afford the firearms and other gear that they are often required to purchase upfront. The cost of attending a police academy can be steep, but this program aims to level the road a bit.

What the Cadet Program Offers

Taking a look at the Cadet Program catalog, it looks like Primary Arms is offering a wide range of gear for law enforcement cadets. The gear includes:

  • pistols,
  • rifles,
  • body armor,
  • uniforms,
  • impact weapons,
  • pepper spray (O.C.),
  • handcuffs,
  • flashlights, and
  • more.

The Cadet Program doesn’t give you an unlimited list of products from which to choose. Instead, it offers the most commonly needed law enforcement gear in the dominant brands. For example, there are only two baton choices (both from ASP) and two pepper spray choices (both Sabre.) Flashlights are limited to SureFire, Streamlight, Inforce and ASP – but these are the most common lights with which law enforcement officers will be equipped.

cost of attending academy

Image: Glock, Inc.

I doubt many cadets will be required to purchase a rifle for the academy. Nevertheless, many departments either allow or require personally owned patrol rifles. For the cadets going to one of these agencies, it would make sense to buy and train with the rifle they will carry with them after graduation.

To meet that need, Primary Arms offers a number of AR-style rifles through the Cadet Program. Rifle brands include FN and Daniel Defense. However, the only rifle optics offered are made by Primary Arms. No Trijicon, Aimpoint or EOTech options are available.

The good news is Primary Arms optics seem to be very good glass for the money. A lot of people I know speak highly of the products.

Why I Care

As a guy who was hired after I completed the police academy, I came out of pocket for all of my gear: a Glock 19 pistol, Safariland SSIII 070 holster, ASP baton, pepper spray, handcuffs, duty belt, ammo, medical gear, boots, academy uniforms and more. The cost was almost beyond my grasp.

I was a newlywed and my wife had not yet found a job. My own job wasn’t high paying so it took a lot of penny-pinching to afford everything. Fortunately, Glock offered its Blue Label program to police academy cadets and my instructors were always trying to help the class out with used gear. When I see the new Cadet Program from Primary Arms, I know someone there understands how tough it can be on new men and women trying to get into the profession.

At no point in the past have we needed honorable, duty-minded officers more than we need now. The thought of the best candidates not making it into the academy because of the equipment costs is disheartening. The Cadet Program is one source of discounted gear that cadets and academies should look to as a way to reduce the cost hurdle.

In Stock Right Now

Handgun Ammo

Rifle Ammo

Guns

Today’s Most Read

  • Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 Review
    Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 Review
  • Diamondback DB9 Review
    Diamondback DB9 Review
  • Best 1-4x Scope Guide: Our Recommendations for Affordable Optics that Won't Break the Bank
    Best 1-4x Scope Guide: Our Recommendations for Affordable Optics that Won't Break the Bank
  • Police Bail Out Bag Contents & Checklist
    Police Bail Out Bag Contents & Checklist
  • Broken Recruits: Common Field Training Problems and Solutions
    Broken Recruits: Common Field Training Problems and Solutions
  • International Driver's License: Legit or Scam?
    International Driver's License: Legit or Scam?
  • .308 Sniper Ammo: One Sniper's View [Updated]
    .308 Sniper Ammo: One Sniper's View [Updated]
  • Universal Training Munitions (UTM)
    Universal Training Munitions (UTM)
  • Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 Holster Guide
    Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 Holster Guide
  • Traffic Stop Safety
    Traffic Stop Safety

BlueSheepdog.com is dedicated to providing no nonsense police gear reviews, law enforcement information, officer safety tips and more. Founded by a cop and written by cops, BSD is independently owned and operated.

Popular Posts

•Best Bail Out Bag for Police
•No Guns for Police at Disney World
•ETS Glock 42 and Glock 43 Magazines •LAPD's New Backup Guns
•Broken Recruits: Common Field Training Problems and Solutions
•Police Knives - Training & Reviews
•Six Things That Can Save Your Life

Copyright © 2023 · BlueSheepdog.com

BlueSheepdog.com is a for-profit website. I do not charge readers a dime to access the information I provide. Some of the links on this page and site are affiliate links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto State Armory. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. Should you decide to purchase something from one of those companies, I make a small commission.