HACKENSACK—Sheriff Anthony Cureton announces that applications for the 25th Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy class are open.
The Citizens Police Academy is a five-week course designed to give residents a working knowledge of law enforcement policies and tactics. Bergen County residents 18 and older are eligible to participate.
Cureton said in the program announcement that this year’s Citizen’s Police Academy comes at a crucial moment in the history of police relations in this country. “BCSO values fostering and maintaining strong relationships within Bergen County’s seventy diverse municipalities as an essential component of law enforcement. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy gives residents firsthand knowledge of the essential work police do while bridging ties between the community and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.”
BCSO’s Citizens Police Academy is designed to education participants on the functions of the Sheriff’s Office and the role the agency plays in Bergen County. The academy is offered in a classroom-style format with demonstrations of equipment and tactics used by law enforcement. Participants learn about the tools officers use in a broad range of areas, including motor vehicle stops, medical operations, disaster preparedness, homicide investigations, K-9 patrol and detection, fire safety, and crime scene analysis.
The class will receive tours of the Bergen County Jail, the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).
The next class is slated to begin on Thursday, July 1 at 7p.m. at the Bergen County Jail, 160 S. River St., Hackensack. Class meets once a week at locations around the county and culminates in a graduation ceremony.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, BCSO can accommodate only the first 20 applicants for this year’s academy. All classes will adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
The deadline to register is Thursday, June 17. Visit bcsd.us/images/pdf/CPAApplication.pdf to download the application. For more information, call the Community Outreach Unit at (201) 336-3540.