Welcome to the first post in the Alternate Route Program cateogry. The “Alternate Route Program” is a program that allows individuals that are not associated with any police agency to attend a NJ police academy, enroll and attend classes, and if successful, graduate and earn a certification as a fully certified NJ police officer.
Until this prgram came into existance, the only way to attend a NJ police academy was to be sponsored (hired) by a NJ police agency. There are more requirments to enter this program at a participating academy than to become hired as a police officer by a police agency and then sent (sponsored) to the same academy. However, a graduate of the academy has advantages over non-certified candidates when a law enforcement agency hires.
When an agency hires a new officer, they have to pay the candidate to attend the police academy. During this time, the agency has to pay the candidates tuition, weekly salary and benefits, insurance coverages, uniform and equipment expenses, and in some cases, they provide transportation.
This is an expense to the agency and if they can hire someone who has already undergone this expensive training, they will save money. For the last several years as municipalities cutt their police department budgets, a lot of agencies have hired mostly Alternate Route Candidates although they have the ability to hire whomever they want.
Traditionally, each academy sets their own admission guidelines and in some cases, a written test and physical test is adminsitered before the academy chooses a small amount of Alternate Route candidates to integrate into the next academy class along with the already hired (sponsored) police officer recruits.
Upon graduation and even before, the Alternate Route candidate should send their resumes to every law enforcement agency in NJ and attempt to secure interviews, except Civil Service agencies. Hopefully, this kind of pro active job searching will lead to a full-time police offcer position.
Alternate Route candidates have three years after graduation to find a position before their certification expires. So chosing this career path comes with an element of risk. This certification doe not apply to the NJ State Police. They have their own academy and the only way to attend and become certified as a State Trooper is to be first hired by them, then sent (sponsored) to their academy in Sea Girt, NJ.
Much more information on this topic can be found in the book, “How to Become a New Jersey Police Officer or State Trooper” on sale now at the following link. www.NJ-Police-Recruit.com/book.html
