N.J. State Police Hiring Recruits

Police departments across New Jersey have been hit hard by layoffs over the past few years, due to budget cuts in a crippled economy. 

The effects of the recession may linger, but the New Jersey State Police is actually hiring. 

The state law-enforcement agency announced Wednesday that they will begin accepting applications next month from candidates who want to be state troopers. As many as 225 spots will be available when two State Police academy classes commence training next spring. 

(Locally, the Maplewood Police Department is also hiring. Chief Robert Cimino told the press at a March public safety meeting that the department was working to hire four more officers to bring the police force up to its authorized level of 60. Cimino said that the high water mark for the size of the department had been 66 officers in 2007-08. He said that the force was down by four due to a number of retirements in late 2011. The town has also authorized the chief to use more overtime and to pursue a grant from the Federal COPS program to hire for a full-time police officer position.)

The application period for the state police positions runs online from May 7 to 29. This is the first time the state police have accepted applications since February 2010. The most recent class of state troopers graduated this past January, adding 85 to the ranks. 

State Police Superintendent Col. Joseph R. Fuentes and state Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa made the announcement about new hiring Wednesday afternoon at in Blackwood. 

A large number of current troopers are approaching the 25-year mark and are set to retire within the next two to three years, which has created the opportunity for new hires, Chiesa said during a press conference at the school.

State police will be actively recruiting in various communities over the next two months, he said.

He also said a job as a state trooper could be a great opportunity for those who've already worked in the field.

"We realize the value of the experience of laid-off police officers in New Jersey, and of military veterans," Chiesa said. 

Fuentes and Chiesa said the agency is making a concerted effort to recruit more minorities and women into the state police ranks. 

Of the 2,745 troopers currently employed by the agency, 82 percent are white, and only 113 of them are female. 

"It's not lost on us that the State Police needs to look like they community they serve," said Lt. Col. Debra Baker, the agency's deputy superintendent of administration. 

In addition to patroling the state's highways, troopers also provide part- or full-time police service in 91 of New Jersey's 566 municipalities. 

There are more than 120 career paths within the state police, Fuentes said, including marine law enforcement, forensics and cyber crimes. 

The current starting salary for a trooper is $62,403.60, including allowances. 

For more information, or to submit an applciation, go to the state police's recruiting site.