YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s new police cadet program that exposes participants to working in law enforcement while Youngstown pays for academy training has attracted more than 50 applicants in just a few weeks.

“I was completely astonished by the turnout,” police Lt. Brian Butler said. “The interest is amazing. It is far beyond my expectations.”

The department has selected four cadets in the police academy and has 15 slots to fill, Butler said.

Under the program, a cadet is hired at $16.49 an hour as an unclassified employee exempt from civil service until they graduate from the academy, pass the city’s civil service test and can then be hired as a patrol officer.

The city created the program to help attract more people to the Youngstown Police Department, said police Chief Carl Davis.

“We’re always thinking of different, innovative ways to recruit,” he said.

Those chosen to go through the program must sign an agreement to repay police academy expenses if that person quits before three years of full-time employment with the city police department.

The department requires a person to be at least 19 years old with a high school diploma or equivalent to join the cadets.

“I almost don’t understand how this is working so well,” Butler said. “We lowered the age to 19, but we’re not entertaining 19-year-olds because we have so many applicants over that age.”

Part of the attraction to the program is the city is paying for the police academy for cadets, which can be as much as $8,000, though that can be reduced through scholarships.

The Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association can cover the costs based on a person’s income, Butler said. Also, the city’s police patrol union is providing up to $25,000 for cadets to go to the academy with the city paying for one person and then the union paying for the next one until the union’s funds are exhausted, Butler said.

Among the job duties of cadets are preparing routine reports and forms that do not require a sworn officer, assisting with crowd control and directing traffic at public events, tagging abandoned vehicles for impound, performing minor maintenance at the police station, and helping sworn officers and supervisors with basic functions.

Cadets become police officers after passing the police academy and the city’s civil service test. Butler said the department plans to hold workshops to help cadets pass the city’s civil service test.

Councilman Pat Kelly, D-5th Ward and a retired Youngstown police officer, expressed concerns about the city paying for training cadets and then watching them depart if they can’t pass the civil service test.

“They take the training and then leave. I have a problem with that,” he said.

A. Joseph Fritz, a senior assistant law director, said the city could go after cadets who don’t pass the city’s civil service test but get employed at another department for reimbursement of the academy training through small claims court.

Butler said he “is confident that within one to two years, we should be back to our staffing level. The issue is retention after three years. We have to figure out how to retain them after three years.”

The city wanted to hire 25 new officers last year and ended up with 16, Butler said. But with officers leaving the force, the department hasn’t grown in staff, he said.

“It’s like plugging your finger in the dam,” Butler said.