Applications for BCSO Citizen’s Police Academy Now Open

Hackensack, N.J. – Sheriff Anthony Cureton announces that applications for the 25^th Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Citizen’s Police Academy class are now officially open. The Citizen’s 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.

“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 Citizen’s 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,” said Sheriff Anthony Cureton.

BCSO’s Citizen’s 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 also receive tours of the Bergen County Jail, the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).

The next Citizen’s Police Academy class is slated to begin on Thursday, July 1, 2021 at 7p.m. at the Bergen County Jail located at 160 S. River Street, Hackensack. Class meets once a week at various locations around the county and concludes with ha graduation ceremony.

Note: Due to Covid-19 restrictions, BCSO can only accommodate the first 20 applicants for this year’s academy. All classes will adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

The deadline to register is Thursday, June 17th, 2021. Please visit our website at https://www.bcsd.us/images/pdf/CPAApplication.pdf to download the application.

For more information, please contact the Community Outreach Unit at 201-336-3540.

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