On April 24th, the Junior Police and Corrections class went on a field trip to the Bergen County Police Law and Public Safety Institute (the “Police Academy”). Our tour guide was Lieutenant Devine, who is also an instructor at the facility. We first met Lt. Devine when he came to Bergen Tech to give a presentation about the S.W.A.T. Team of which he is a member. First, we saw the firing range. Lieutenant Devine explained how the training officers practice from different distances depending on the kind of gun they use. He took us into the weapons storage area and showed us several types of weapons used by the police. Then we saw a training method called “Desert Snow” in which cops can differentiate between gasoline barrels and barrels holding drugs when searching a truck that they suspect is involved in drug trafficking. Afterwards, we went back inside and toured a room, which is part of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, in which you can dispatch police to anywhere in the county. There was an amazing amount of monitors, computer equipment and even overnight facilities for emergency workers directing operations in the event of an emergency such as a flood or blizzard.
More information about the institute can be found here: http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bclpsi/.
Advisor: Sharon Jacobs