Worthwhile program
needs Manalapan home
A request put forth by representatives of the Manal-apan Police Department’s new Police Athletic League (PAL) deserves serious consideration by the Township Committee.
The PAL representatives are asking municipal officials for help in securing a home for the program. They have identified the former Manalapan teen center on Route 33 near Millhurst Road as a possible home for the PAL.
At a recent meeting of the governing body, Lt. Denis Brady, Patrolman Reginald Grant and Patrolman Charles Mazzatto told municipal officials the PAL will serve young people from Manal-apan and Englishtown.
Brady said the program is backed by Police Chief John G. McCormack.
It is impressive to note that 43 officers have said they are committed to assist in the program, according to the lieutenant.
The Manalapan Police Depart-ment has a long and impressive history of interacting with young people in the community. Years before anyone had ever heard of a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, Officer Robert Fausak, who recently retired, was a regular visitor in local schools, talking with teens and keeping an eye and an ear on what was happening.
When DARE came on the scene, the police department took that program to the children in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.
Teenagers from Manalapan and Englishtown have found they are welcome in the Police Explorers program that the department has run for years. That program gives young adults hands-on experience in the field of law enforcement and has proved to be a valuable training ground for many people who have made law enforcement their profession.
Now, with the establishment of a PAL, the police are planning to add academic and athletic programs to their community outreach efforts.
The officers who came before the committee said the former teen center would provide adequate space for those programs and told township officials that money is available from the PAL to renovate the building.
With growing populations in Manalapan and Englishtown, there is no doubt some young adults will benefit from the direction they will receive through the PAL.
Manalapan is fortunate to have police officers in its employ who are willing to go the extra mile for residents.
It is worth the effort on behalf of a police department that has a record of working with the community — not just in the community — to see if a home for the PAL can be found as expeditiously as possible.