Monmouth's Academy Of Law And Public Safety Has Open House Saturday

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Is your teen son or daughter interested in a career in law enforcement?

The Monmouth County Academy of Law and Public Safety (ALPS) — which is part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District — will host this Open House this Saturday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. The Open House will be located on their campus at 225 West End Ave., Long Branch.

Registration is not required.

Current eighth grade students interested in applying to ALPS for next school year must apply by Friday, Dec. 1. As ALPS transitions from a two-year to a four-year program, the Academy is accepting one more cohort of two-year students. Current sophomores can apply for next academic year starting on Friday, Jan. 5 through April 8, 2024.

It is well known that more women than ever are entering the field of law enforcement:

Nearly half the 70 students enrolled in the Monmouth County Vocational School District are female, which has influenced the Academy of Law and Public Safety to show students more female role models from the law enforcement field.

ALPS recently hosted the Women in Law Enforcement forum, where students were introduced to the three current female police chief in Monmouth County: Belmar Police Chief Tina Scott, Keyport Police Chief Shannon Torres and West Long Branch Police Chief Marlowe Botti.

New in 2023 is that ALPS transitioned from a two-year to a four-year program, and students can earn as many as 26 transferrable credits through dual-enrollment agreements with Brookdale Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Also new is that ALPS students may also apply to become a Class-1 Special Law Enforcement Officer (SLEO) in their senior year — a year earlier than they would be eligible to apply if not enrolled in ALPS.

“This means that students who are selected after applying and interviewing enter the police academy in June and often start working the very same weekend they graduate high school,” said ALPS Principal Joseph Diver. “It's a great thing for our students to graduate with a job, but it also benefits the police departments that hire them, especially those along the Shore communities that have greater employment needs during the summer months.”

Questions about how to have your son or daughter apply to ALPS? Email [email protected]