Summit Police To Accept Youth Academy Applications Beginning Mar. 1

The Summit Police Department has announced the dates for the 2013 session of its Youth Academy. The academy will be running two, one-week long sessions, one from July 15 to 19, the other from July 29 to Aug. 2, 2013, both of which will be held at the Summit Police Department, located at 512 Springfield Ave. Classes will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

This will be the ninth season of this increasingly popular program, designed to provide area youths with the opportunity to gain an understanding of the role of the police officer.  While other youth academy programs provide a day camp setting, the Summit Police Youth Academy has been modeled after today’s police academy.  Those accepted to the program will undergo physical training and daily training in Drill and Ceremony, will be instructed in criminal investigation techniques, evidence recovery, patrol practices and the effects of alcohol and drugs.  In addition, the cadets will participate in field trips to the Union County Police Academy and attend demonstrations from various specialized units that are available to law enforcement, such as the police canine unit, SWAT team and the bomb squad. 

Each cadet will receive official Summit Police Youth Academy uniforms to wear throughout the course. Upon successful completion of the course, the cadets will participate in a graduation ceremony in which they will be presented with a certificate of completion and an official Summit Police Youth Academy patch.  Each cadet will also receive a DVD slideshow of photos taken during their session.

Acceptance into this program requires that the applicant be between the ages of 11-14.  Those that qualify will be selected at random from the pool of applications that are received between Mar. 1 and Apr. 1, 2013, not on a “first come, first served” basis.  Please note, however, that preference will be given to Summit residents who are new applicants; former recruits and out-of-town applicants will be placed on a waiting list.  In order to be considered, the tuition fee of $100 must accompany the application.  However, for those applicants that are experiencing financial hardships, there are a limited number of scholarships available. 

Applications will be available at the Police Department, the Summit Middle School Office, and online at http://www.cityofsummit.org.   Applications will be accepted beginning Mar. 1, 2013, and the deadline for applications will be Apr. 1, 2013.

For additional information, please contact Det. Matthew Buntin at  mbuntin@cityofsummit.org (908-273-5871) or Pam Ferreira at pferreira@cityofsummit.org  (908-277-9473).

Editor's note: This information was submitted to Summit Patch by the Summit Police Department.