Want To Become A Bridgewater Cop? Scholarships Available To Help County Residents

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Interested in joining the Bridgewater Police Department? There are scholarships to help with that.

Somerset County’s Board of Commissioners has created a scholarship program of up to $500,000 to help County residents attend the Police Academy with guaranteed employment at a local law enforcement department, such as Bridgewater, upon successful completion of the program.

"For many young people the expense and time involved in becoming a police officer make their dream of serving and protecting the public unreachable," said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson. "By removing time and financial impediments to law enforcement employment, we hope to help local departments build diverse, qualified forces that not only reflect their community but with officers who live in the community."

The scholarships are funded by the American Rescue Plan and overseen by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s office. They will focus on helping local police forces diversify to ensure they reflect the local community, according to the County.

Five local police departments have committed to two years of employment for candidates who successfully complete their training. Those departments include Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Far Hills, Hillsborough, and North Plainfield.

Residents applying for the scholarships must be 21 years of age, an American citizen and resident of Somerset County, speak and write in English, have earned at least an Associate’s degree or 60 college credits, be of sound mind and body, and able to pass a written, physical, and medical examination administered by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

"This program was not created to fulfill a consent decree or due to bad publicity, but because of the Commissioners' firm commitment that Somerset County law enforcement accurately reflect the makeup of our citizens and residents," said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. "We are going to place young police officers in five of our great towns in Somerset County, and I look forward to continuing this work with the Commissioners’ tremendous support."

The program is based on a model developed by Somerset County Sheriff Darrin Russo. Over the past three years, Russo was able to diversify the department.

"It was Sheriff Russo’s rapid success in creating a vibrant, talented, and responsive office that gave us the idea for this law enforcement scholarship program," said Robinson. "Being able to use this model to support local police departments expands our commitment to rebuild the vital trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve."

Applications are being accepted through the month of September and can be downloaded online at soconj.gov/policescholarship or request it at becomeasomersetcountypdcop@co.somerset.nj.us.

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