EAST BRUNSWICK – Showing teenagers what it takes to become a “man or woman in blue,” the East Brunswick Police Department hosted its 13th Junior Police Academy.
“I hope they [got] a better understanding of law enforcement as a whole, what we do here in East Brunswick and what other agencies offer as well. [Also] a better understanding of what police officers have to go through,” Patrolman Jason Fama said. “We [convened] an almost 24-week program a standard police officer has to go to into a one-week class. Besides classroom stuff, we also put them through physical fitness.”
The Junior Police Academy was lead by Fama and Patrolman Reggie Wright, who both run the police department’s Community Policing Unit.
For five days, cadets learned about the different elements of policing, including forensics, the history of policing, police etiquette, executive protection, SWAT, accident investigation, leadership, gang awareness, the New Jersey State Police K-9; specials operations/Driving While Intoxicated and patrol and motor vehicle stops.
“We [brought] them on two field trips, we [went] to the governor’s mansion and to the New Jersey State Police Museum, and state police Forensic Lab, so we [tried] to show them not just East Brunswick law enforcement, but law enforcement in general,” Fama said. “Obviously, we use a lot of our officers here in East Brunswick, showing them different divisions and specialized sections here.”
Physical fitness exercises included running, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and more.
“It [was] basically supposed to mimic what a regular police academy would be like as far as the physical aspect of it. … Physical fitness is a big part of what we do in law enforcement and it is a big part of my life personally, and I have an athletic background as well. It [was] important for them to kind of get a taste of what it is really like,” Wright said.
Young people between the ages of 13 and 17 who are residents or who are enrolled in the East Brunswick School District were eligible to attend the Junior Police Academy. A total of 30 cadets participated in the five-day academy, according to Fama.
Fama said a number of the cadets have family members or friends in law enforcement, and several expressed an interest in law enforcement as a career.
Cadets listened to a presentation about executive protection given by SFC Louis J. Maniace from the state police Protective Services Bureau on June 26 at East Brunswick High School.
To teach the cadets about the importance of noticing details, Maniace had the cadets participate in an exercise in which some cadets would leave the room, while the remaining cadets would change things in the room to see if those who had left could figure out what was changed.
“Attention to detail is very important in law enforcement. Paying attention to things that change, and they could be innocuous, something could change and it may not mean anything, or a little detail could mean something big,” Maniace said.
On June 29, a graduation ceremony was held and each cadet was given a certificate for completing the academy. Chief of Police James Conroy, Mayor Brad Cohen and the cadets’ family members were present during the graduation ceremony, according to Fama.
Fama said he and Wright presented awards based on which cadet did the best in terms of academics, physical fitness and leadership.
Wright said he hopes the academy opened the cadets’ eyes to certain aspects of law enforcement they may not have been familiar with, such as day-to-day operations and the responsibilities officers have.
“Also, to give them some exposure [as to] what the academy is really like because perception is your reality, so hopefully their perception once they leave here not only with the academy itself, but with us as officers,” Wright said. “We are human beings, we are people they can relate to who care. … Hopefully by spending their time here [and] interacting with us, they [got] to see what we do and also [got] to learn more about us as people.”
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].