Monmouth County Police Academy Flourishes

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By Thomas A. Arnone
Under the di­rec­tion of the cur­rent liaison to the Mon­mouth County Police Academy, Free­holder Lillian Burry, along with the help of the newly appointed director of the Monmouth County Police Academy David Morris, and me who currently serves on the Executive Board, the Monmouth County Police Academy is flourishing with numerous activities.
Currently the following recruit classes are in session: Basic Course for Police Officers – 84th Class has a class size of 68; Special Law Enforcement Officer Class II 39th Class for part-time officers currently has a class size of 64; Park Rangers Recruit Class has 16 officers – 4 from Burlington County and 12 from Monmouth County. As of this writing, there are 148 law enforcement recruits being trained at this academy. These are unprecedented numbers and have required the assistance from various law enforcement entities to ensure quality training. Cer­tainly this has been a logistical challenge, but it has created true partnerships and outstanding commitments by so many.
Upcoming additional scheduled recruit training classes are Special Law Enforcement Officer Class, Corrections Officers Basic Recruit Class and School Resource Recruit Class. The latter is a one-week course held to train officers who work within the various school systems.
Along with the recruit training classes, the academy hosts numerous in-service classes for the veteran law enforcement officers. The academy also continuously updates new training and promotes this through the use of its website, www.monmouthcountypoliceacademy.com and Face­book membership. The academy is pleased to have representatives from international, federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies provide quality training to our constituent base.
Additionally, the academy also has private outside vendors who provide valuable public safety training. For example, Meridian Health trains their security personnel here during the summer months and the The Joint Insurance Companies provide safety training to veteran police officers.
The activity levels at the academy have increased significantly. Compared to 2010, attendance and enrollment are up and revenues have more than doubled. The Board of Chosen Freeholders are committed to continuing to make improvements to the programs being offered at the Monmouth County Police Academy and to the building as well. The board’s ultimate goal is to see that the academy becomes the best in the state, and it appears the Monmouth County Police Academy is well on its way.
 
Thomas A. Arnone is freeholder director, Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.