Alternate Route Basic Course For Police Officers

The John H. Stamler Police Academy is a participating agency in the Alternate Route
Basic Course for Police Officers. This program allows qualified candidates to participate in the New Jersey Police Training Commission
Basic Course for Police Officers without first being appointed to a municipal or county
police agency.

The Alternate Route Application Process will commence on
Monday,
February 1, 2010.

There are three methods to become a police officer:

•   Take the civil service exam, given by the New Jersey Department of Personnel. As a veteran, extra points will be added to your test score. The top scorers are usually hired quickly by the police departments and agencies that require applicants to take this exam.

•   Apply directly with non-civil service departments. (You’ll have to call each one you are interested in directly, as, at this time, there is no “master list” to tell you who does what. If they hire you, they will pay for you to attend the Academy.)

•   Apply as an “Alternate Route” candidate.

An individual interested in the Alternate Route Application Process must first take and pass a written examination.

To register to take this written examination, the individual interested in the Alternate Route Application Process must come IN PERSON to the John H. Stamler Police Academy beginning Monday, February 1, 2010 between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM to complete and submit a Registration Form to take the written examination.  Photo identification is required.  A check or money order in the amount of $60, payable to the Union County Police Chiefs Association, MUST be submitted with the completed Registration Form.  This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.

An individual will be disqualified from taking the written examination if the Registration Form is incomplete, illegible or otherwise not in order, and/or is submitted without full payment submitted correctly.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  The Registration Form to take the written examination must be received by the John H. Stamler Police Academy by 1PM on Wednesday, March 31, 2010.  No registration forms will be accepted after that deadline.  No exceptions.

The written examination will be administered at the John H. Stamler Police Academy on Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.  All registrants must arrive at the Academy NO LATER than 9:15 AM to sign-in.  Photo identification will be required to gain entrance to the Police Academy and classroom.  BE SURE TO BRING A PEN AND TWO PENCILS WITH YOU.  Registrants must be neat in appearance, and follow the Academy Dress Code (also posted on this website.)  Male applicants must wear a collared shirt and dress or casual pants.  Female applicants must be similarly appropriately dressed.  No jeans or sneakers will be allowed.

Every individual who completes the written examination administered on Saturday, April 10, 2010, will be notified of their examination score within thirty-days.  At that time, those individuals being invited to complete the Alternate Route Application Process, which will include a written application and oral interview, will be duly notified, and given instructions for next steps in the process.  Registrants must pass the written examination to continue in the candidate selection process.   The number of candidates to be interviewed will depend upon the number of slots available in the upcoming class.

The Alternate Route Program to Becoming a Police Officer

The Alternate Route Program is an opportunity for an individual to pay his or her own way through the Basic Training Course for Police Officers, without having first been hired by a police department or law enforcement agency.

Upon completion of the Basic Course for Police Officers, an Alternate Route Program graduate has three (3) years to be hired as a police officer in the state of New Jersey.

Candidate Qualifications

Candidates applying for entrance in the John H. Stamler Police Academy Alternate Route Program must meet the following qualifications:

• Must be a resident of New Jersey and a citizen of the United States.
• Must have completed a minimum of 60 college credits or two years of active military service or a combination thereof.
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 35 years.
• Must be sound in body and of good health sufficient to satisfy the Board of Trustees of the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System of New Jersey as to his/her eligibility for membership in the retirement system.
• Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language well and intelligently.
• Must be of good moral character and have not been convicted of any criminal offense or that reflects negatively on your moral character.
• Must successfully pass all entrance examinations, tests, evaluations, investigations, and interviews. The testing process includes a written examination, background check, oral interview, psychological evaluation and medical screening. Applicants successfully passing all phases of the entry process are placed on a preference list according to their final ranking.

General Program Information

The Alternate Route program is limited to no more than 20 trainees in each selected Basic Course for Police Officers class.

The Academy has the right to deny admittance for any reason. Successful completion of all phases of testing does not guarantee any applicant admittance into the Academy.

Program Cost

The tuition for attending the Academy is $1,870.00. This fee covers tuition, ammunition, and medical
and psychological examinations. Candidates must furnish their own uniforms and any other materials necessary to complete the course. Anyone who can demonstrate an inability to pay the tuition by the first day of class will be
given a period of one year from the date of hire by a law enforcement agency to pay the tuition.

In addition, there is a $60.00 non-refundable application fee that covers administrative costs and fees for the written examinations.

Program Basics

The basic course is conducted from 5:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday for approximately
20 weeks (July through December).

Trainees are required to undergo rigorous physical fitness activity and military discipline as well as extensive academic courses related to the position of police officer. Due to the Academy’s strenuous physical training program, Alternate Route applicants must be in excellent physical condition prior to entering the Academy. At the discretion of the Director, any applicant deemed to be in sub-standard physical condition can be denied admission to the Alternate Route Program, and, once accepted, in accordance with the Recruit Class Rules & Regulations, can be dismissed.

Upon Graduation

Acceptance and successful completion of the Alternate Route program does not guarantee employment in law enforcement. You will, however, receive training that will make you eligible for acceptance in any local police department in New Jersey. In Civil Service communities, you must still meet the Civil Service eligibility and preference requirements.

Upon successfully completing the program, in addition to meeting all of the requirements to become a police officer established by the State of New Jersey, you will be eligible to receive twelve (12) college credits upon registering at Union County College.