Bowie police trainees, cadets head to county academy as force grows

Bowie Police Department is sending eight trainees and two cadets to the Prince George’s County Police Academy on June 30, the latest sign of how the city is trying to widen its hiring pipeline as it builds toward a larger force.

The department wants to grow by about 25 percent, to 75 officers by the end of 2026, while thousands of new homes rise in Bowie and police agencies across the region compete for recruits. In June 2025, Chief Dwayne Preston said the department was about a dozen officers short of where it wanted to be, and the city turned to incentives including a $1,000 bonus for civilians who refer a qualified applicant who is ultimately hired.

Bowie also pushed harder on hiring in February 2026 with a one-day recruitment event and signing bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $20,000. The new academy class suggests that pressure is beginning to move candidates from application to training, but it also raises the core question for residents: whether added recruits will translate into faster response times and stronger neighborhood coverage once they finish field training and hit the street.

The county academy is a central part of that pipeline. Prince George’s County Police says its Training and Education Division runs Basic Officer Training, Advanced Officer Training, the Firearms Section and the Career Development Section, with instructors certified through the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. The county department calls itself the fourth-largest law enforcement agency in Maryland, with more than 1,500 officers and 300 civilians serving nearly 900,000 residents and business owners.

Bowie has also kept a cadet track that is meant to feed the department over time. Under the city’s Police Cadet Program, cadets can work while furthering their education, but they must apply to and be accepted into the academy once they reach age 20 and a half. The posting for that program lists a starting salary of $60,827.

The academy connection matters because Prince George’s County graduations often spill into local departments. In February 2023, 27 recruits graduated from Session 148, and 10 went to partner agencies in the county. In September 2022, two graduates headed to the Bowie Police Department. As Bowie adds recruits and cadets to the county training system, the real test will be whether those classes keep pace with growth in the city and reduce the staffing gaps that have left officers stretched thin.