The Daily Newarker — Press Wire

For Immediate Release

CITY OF NEWARK ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT

OF 7^TH SENIOR CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY CLASS ON FEBRUARY 5

Senior residents will ride along with Police and use firearms training simulator;

Class will empower seniors as “ambassadors” for Police and resource against crime

Newark, NJ – January 29, 2010 - Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Police Director Garry F. McCarthy announced today that the Police Department’s 7^th Senior Citizen Police Academy will commence on Friday, February 5, 2010. Classes are free and will run consecutively for 10 weeks on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., concluding with a graduation ceremony on April 30, 2010. The classes will be held at the Police and Fire Communications Center at 309- 311 Washington Street.  This class is full, with more than 100 applications having been received, the oldest being a resident aged 93.

“I urge all of our senior residents to participate in future sessions of this program, which will teach them how they can serve as ambassadors of the Police Department by becoming additional eyes and ears in our neighborhoods. We value the wisdom of our seniors whose leadership is needed now more than ever as positive role models for our youth,” said Mayor Booker.

The Senior Citizen Police Academy students, ages 55 and older, will be trained on crime prevention and intervention tactics.  The curriculum includes training on how to detect and report criminal activity, firearms instruction courtesy of the department’s state-of-the-art Firearms Training Simulator (FATS), as well as information about the day-to-day operations of the Newark Police Department.  Students will also have the opportunity to respond to low-priority service calls throughout Newark with police officers. 

 “The Senior Citizen Police Academy is pivotal to the success of the Newark Police Department,” said Director McCarthy. “I encourage Newark’s senior citizens to take advantage of this opportunity to not only learn more about the Police Department, but to help make our City safer, stronger, and prouder. Only with their support can we continue to protect the community and reclaim our respective neighborhoods.”

Seniors will also serve as participants in the decision-making process involved in preventing criminal activity, and detecting and reporting crime.  In addition, the students will learn more about personal and home safety tactics from the Fire Department, senior health issues from the Department of Child and Family Well-Being, and senior discounts and services available through NJ Transit.

Senior Citizen Police Academy Supervisor Detective Debra Cole-Grainger said, “The involvement of our senior police academy students does not end with the graduation ceremony. We need the help of our senior police academy alumni to assist us with chaperoning youngsters at our community events, such as our Police Week and Halloween Parties.  The support of our seniors is critical to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and families.” 

Central Ward resident and Senior Citizen Police Academy graduate Dorothy Jones said, “I feel enlightened after taking this program. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about the Police Department. One of the biggest things I learned was how to report incidents and activities.”

Due to overwhelming interest, applications are no longer being accepted for the 7^th Senior Citizen Police Academy Class.  If you are interested in participating in a future class, and are a Newark resident aged 55 or older, please contact the Office of Aging located at 94 William Street, at (973) 733-4392.  For any other questions or requests for service, please contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

Under the Booker Administration, the City of Newark has formed several new partnerships and launched numerous new initiatives and policing strategies. Since 2006, the Newark Police Foundation has raised thousands of dollars in philanthropic donations to support the purchase and deployment of new crime-fighting technology, including the deployment of more than one hundred wireless video surveillance cameras, a sonic gunshot detection system, a new state-of-the-art emergency services vehicle and the operation of the City’s “Crime Stopper” and “Gun Stopper” anonymous tip lines. Since the anonymous tip lines began, police have received more the 3000 calls and paid out more than $61,000 in reward money resulting in more than 200 arrests, the recovery of 78 guns, and the confiscation of more than $235,000 worth of illegal narcotics.

Anyone with information about any crime in Newark is urged to call the Department’s 24-hour “Crime Stoppers” anonymous tip line at 877 NWK-TIPS (877 695-8477) or 877 NWK-GUNS (877 695-4867). Tips leading to arrests and indictments could result in cash rewards of up to $2,000 to the person who provides the information or $1,000 per gun for calls into the gun hot line.

For more information about these or any other City of Newark municipal program or policy, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

-NEWARK-

Contact:         Newark Press Information Office: (973) 733-8004

E-mail: Pressoffice@ci.newark.nj.us


Newark Police Press Information Office: (973) 733-6309


E-mail: Mcclendont@ci.newark.nj.us

About the City of Newark, New Jersey

Newark, commonly referred to as Brick City, is the third oldest city in the United States and the largest in New Jersey, with a population of more than 280,000 people. Newark sits on one of the nation’s largest transportation super-structures including an international airport, major rail connections, major highway intersections and the busiest seaport on the east coast.

With a new Administration as of July 2006, Newark continues to see signs of a strong revival.  In population, it is one of the fastest growing cities in the northeast. Its six major colleges and universities are further expanding their presence. The production of affordable housing has doubled, businesses are returning and crime is going down. There is still much work to be done but Newark is on its way to achieving its mission:  to set a national standard for urban transformation.

For more information on the City of Newark, please visit our website at www.ci.newark.nj.us

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