The Wall Township Police Department completed the 5th Youth Police Academy on Friday, June 28, 2019. The class was one week long and welcomed 21 cadets aging from 12 – 17 years of age. Different than a typical youth police academy, this class started with a crime in progress that took place in front of the cadets. The cadets were then instructed that the crime they just witnessed would be the basis of the training for the week. The class was then tasked with processing the crime scene on Day # 1, which involved taking photos and collecting evidence. Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office assisted with this by demonstrating procedures in evidence collection. Also, the cadets followed K9 Titan and handler Sergeant Ed Lister on a track which followed the suspect’s path as he fled the scene.
During the rest of the week, the class was instructed on fingerprinting, handcuffing, photo line-ups and drug awareness. The “suspect” was later identified as a result of a composite sketch performed by the New Jersey State Police Composite Unit. The suspect was then arrested by means of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team. MOCERT performed a demonstration and answered questions for the cadets.
The week ended with a mock trial, where our suspect was found “guilty.” The class enjoyed their time together as they celebrated on the last day with a pizza party. Later that evening, the class took part in a graduation ceremony on the main stage at the Wall Fair. The class marched into the ceremony accompanied by Pipes and Drums for their families to see and hear. They were addressed by Chief Kenneth Brown Jr. and Mayor Kevin P. Orender before being presented with their graduation certificates. Wall Township Committee Members (Deputy Mayor George K. Newberry and Committeeman Dominick DiRocco, Timothy J. Farrell and Carl Braun) also attended the graduation ceremony.
