BLOOMFIELD, NJ -- The
highly successful, free yearly Bloomfield Citizen Police Academy will begin
Tuesday, February 5, and residents are encouraged to apply by this Friday,
January 25.
The Citizen Police Academy was
created after Director of Public Safety Samuel DeMaio joined the Department in
2015, reflecting his model of community policing, where officers are part of
the community for celebrations and insightful events, as well as during
emergencies. The first two years, the academy was organized exclusively with
Bloomfield Police personnel, and exclusively for Bloomfield residents, but in
2017, the Department partnered with Montclair, and invited Montclair residents
to participate. Now, it is expanding to include Glen Ridge.
The nine-week course will cover
topics such as basic Police Academy training, traffic enforcement, crime scene
investigation, appropriate use of force, K-9 Units, community policing, and
more. It will run every Tuesday night from February 5 through April 2 at 6:00pm
at the Christ Episcopal Church at 74 Park Avenue, Glen Ridge.
“The Citizen Police Academy is a
great yearly program that the Bloomfield Township Council and I support and
plan to continue for many years. It is in keeping with the renewed emphasis on
community policing that Director DeMaio has implemented, which has resulted in
fewer crimes, and demonstrably better police and community relations in the
past four years,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “I am thrilled that
Montclair and Glen Ridge have joined us to not only promote citizen awareness
of Police protocol, but also introduce our neighboring residents and officers
to one another, truly fostering great community relations.”
The yearly program includes
exciting trips to the Essex County Police Academy. Last year, Essex County
Sheriff’s officers brought in a K-9 unit to conduct a demonstration of several
different K-9’s assignments to different details such as drug sniffing or bomb
sniffing. This year’s group will take a trip to the Essex County Police Academy
to use the Firearms Training Simulator (FATS) machine and observe a weapons
qualification from a certified firearms instructor.
“I would like to thank all of our
Bloomfield Police officers, and the Montclair and Glen Ridge Police officers
for working together to conduct a great training program, and I would like to
thank all the residents who bring their energy and interest to this
community-oriented program,” said Director of Public Safety Samuel DeMaio.
“I recommend this program to anyone who is interested in a career in law
enforcement or would like to better understand the day-to-day happenings of the
police department. Our deadline is this Friday, January 25, and we welcome all
residents to apply.”
Last year’s academy graduated 28
civilians, with a special reception and ceremony held to honor graduates and
participating officers. All participants will receive a free shirt.
Applications must be received by
Friday, January 25. Email to bdemaio@bloomfieldnjpd.com, or mail
to Bloomfield Police Department, ℅ Community Policing Unit, 1 Municipal Plaza,
Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
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