Ho-Ho-Kus March 28, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Junior Police Academy to return with record enrollment by Jennifer Crusco After a one-year hiatus, the Ho-Ho-Kus Junior Police Academy will return to the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School on Lloyd Road from July 9 through 13. Organizers anticipate the largest enrollment since the program was launched, as the academy will accept 60 students to include those who missed the experience when the program was cancelled in 2011. This year, the academy will be open to students who have just completed fifth grade and those who have just completed sixth grade. “I’m ecstatic that we’re able to do it again,” Ho-HoKus Police Chief John Wanamaker told Villadom TIMES last week. “We have the manpower this year. Cancelling the program was a tough call to make last year as the new chief. I’m glad it worked out for this year.” The academy program was launched in 2006 by Gregory Kallenberg, who was chief of police at the time. The program continued for five successful seasons, until 2011. When the decision was made to sideline the program for that year, Chief Wanamaker said the officers who run the program, including Sean Leonard, Christopher Minchin, Anthony Balestrieri, and M Mosca, had tried to work on the situation from every angle, but could not resolve every issue. Chief Wanamaker gave credit to the officers who run the program for trying to continue it in 2011. Last week, Leonard acknowledged that the recent addition of Chris Santos as a patrolman would allow the police department the personnel necessary to run the academy program. Leonard said two retirements had prevented the program from becoming a reality last summer. The program offered in Ho-Ho-Kus was based on the academy presented to students in Mahwah. The first year the Ho-Ho-Kus program ran, 15 cadets participated. The cadets included a mix of male and female students who had just finished the fifth grade. The following summer, 31 cadets signed up for the program. Enrollment peaked in 2009, with 50 participants. Cadets gain a taste of the police academy experience on the grounds of the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School. Activities include daily calisthenics led by Balestrieri (an Army reservist) and education about police techniques and procedures. Cadets receive a healthy dose of discipline, work on crime scene investigation, visit the Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah, learn traffic stop procedures, and test their coordination while wearing DWI simulator goggles. The program also includes a graduation ceremony and a field trip to a Jackals baseball game. In prior years, funding for the program has been provided by the Bergen County Municipal Alliance and the Policemen’s Benevolent Association.