Camden County Tech Schools Add Law and Public Safety Academies

Students in Camden County will have the chance to prepare for careers in law enforcement and emergency services, and the newly formed countywide police department will get a pipeline for future recruits under a plan announced by county officials Tuesday.

Camden County Technical Schools will offer a 4-year Law and Public Safety Academy at both the Pennsauken and Gloucester Township campuses starting in September, an opportunity county officials called “unprecedented.”

“This will be a historic initiative that will allow students to follow career paths in public safety when they enter high schools,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement. “No one ever tells students in high school, and for that matter, college, what the best track is to become a police officer, sheriff’s officer or investigator in the Prosecutor’s Office. Now kids will be given the right track to become public servants protecting our community from the professionals in the field.”

The newly formed academies will offer career tracks in criminal justice, forensic science, fire science, emergency medical services and legal services, coupled with internships in county institutions like the Fire Training Academy and Sheriff’s Office.

“This new curriculum will basically create a feeder system for the Camden County Police Department and every other law enforcement agency in the County. It will produce individuals who want to serve and protect our community and give them a direct roadmap to do it,” said Cappelli.

Students will also have the chance to earn college credit while still in high school, thanks to a partnership with Camden County College, which freeholder Ian Leonard said makes for a natural transition into several degree programs at the college level.

“The combined resources of these two institutions will greatly benefit the students in this program,” he said in a statement.

Current eighth graders who are Camden County residents are eligible for admission; parents can contact the admissions office at 856-767-7000 ext. 5415 or go to ccts.tec.nj.us for more information.