North Bergen Celebrates Inaugural Citizen Police Academy Graduating Class

The Township of North Bergen celebrated the achievements of the first graduates of the North Bergen Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy (CPA) on Wednesday, March 8. Eight township residents completed the 10-week training program and received their certificates of achievement from Mayor Nicholas Sacco, Public Safety Commissioner Allen Pascual, and Police Chief Peter Fasilis.

The CPA is open to North Bergen residents only and provides community members with a deeper understanding of the skills and abilities police officers bring to their work within the community. The training is not designed to train individuals to become police officers but to promote community involvement and produce knowledgeable citizens who can help build safer, more cohesive communities.

“The objective of the CPA is to promote community involvement, which is one of the most important resources any police department can hope to have,” said Chief Fasilis. “I want to thank Mayor Sacco and Commissioner Pascual for their continued support of our community outreach programs, which are vital to building trust and improving transparency within our community.”

The workshops were led by police academy instructors and included discussions with specialized unit representatives, role-playing, and tactical exercises. Graduates received training in appropriate use of force, traffic law enforcement, police response to mental illness and special needs, introduction to firearms, defensive tactics, laws of arrest, domestic violence, crime scene procedures, and more.

Congratulations to the graduates: Carlos G. Almeida, Jose M. Delgado, Brian T. Hernandez, Marco R. Hernandez, Stephanie Jimenez, Carlos Rivas, Lisa Rosabal, and Art Schwartz.

“I am very proud to see individuals who understand the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and civilians,” said Commissioner Pascual. “They are now better equipped to help build trust and mutual understanding in their neighborhoods.”

The next Citizens Police Academy will be announced this fall, and anyone interested in participating may contact Captain Cynthia Montero at cmontero@northbergenpd.com.