Bergen County Police Academy has reopened. See what's changed
The Bergen County Police Academy reopened and is back to training police recruits after being shut down in December for possible "infractions."
The New Jersey Police Training Commission suspended the academy's certification in December 2023 after it received two anonymous letters indicating that "possible serious rule infractions and Instructor Code of Conduct violations" had been committed.
The Bergen County Police Academy regained its certification in January after a new operating structure placed the county administration in charge of it instead of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
The academy reopened on March 15 and is training 52 recruits, county spokesperson Derek Sands said. They are scheduled to graduate on Aug. 9.
The Police Training Commission also granted permission for a fall police academy class, with a pending start date, Sands said.
Deputy County Administrator and retired Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg will now also serve as the academy's transitional director and will oversee the curriculum and operation.
The academy, which trains hundreds of future law enforcement officers every six months, typically holds classes in January and July.
The academy is a unit of the county's Law & Public Safety Institute and operates as a partnership among Bergen County, its Prosecutor's Office and its Sheriff’s Office.
The offices of the prosecutor and sheriff will still have a presence as instructors when the next class begins.
What went wrong with the Bergen County Police Academy?
The New Jersey Police Training Commission received information alleging rule violations at the academy last year. It's unclear when they happened and what they included, but an item under "academy issues" in a Bergen County Police Academy administrative report appeared on the training commission's Dec. 6, 2023, meeting agenda.
A copy of the report obtained by NorthJersey.com, dated Nov. 21, 2023, said the agency received two anonymous letters in the previous week indicating that "possible serious rule infractions and Instructor Code of Conduct violations have been committed" by several academy command staff members and other instructors. The document did not specify what those offenses were.
"These allegations will be fully investigated with the findings being fully recorded and reported to the Police Training Commission," said the report, signed by field investigator Donald Robertella.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County Police Academy has reopened. See what's changed
