WAYNE POLICE - COMMUNITY POLICING

The Community Policing Unit is very active. Officers Colella and Rappaport are involved in the following activities, and others:

• Bicycle Rodeos – A lecture and demonstration to 10 to 25 children on bicycle safety, how to ride on the road, theft prevention, and bicycle components.

• The Police Liaison for the Wayne Municipal Alliance Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

• Since 1998, Officers conducted their Junior Police Academy. This unique and highly successful program involved 80 children ages 10 to 12. This was an all day program supervised by many Wayne Police Officers. Various officers from our department were brought in to demonstrate and instruct in their area of expertise. Outside agencies such as the FBI, Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Wayne First Aid Squad, the Wayne Volunteer Fire Companies and the New Jersey State Police also participated. This year the Junior Officers traveled to the Passaic County Police Academy for a day to give them a taste of being a cadet. Lastly, they participated in a mock crime and trial to give them a brief glimpse of our justice system.

• In addition, the unit participated in Wayne Day and Safety Town. More importantly they conducted Home and Business Security Surveys for local residents and companies. Further appointments can be scheduled by calling Officer Paylo and Officer Colella.

• The Senior Police Academy is a program developed by the Community Policing Unit and Chilton Memorial Hospital’s New Vitality. The program is made possible by a grant from the Wayne Alliance. It has proved to be extremely successful and won national recognition in 2003. During the 4-week course, the participants learn about Neighborhood Crime Watch, defensive driving and pedestrian safety, along with fraud and scams directed at seniors, crime prevention, alcoholism and gambling. The cadets also spend a session at the Passaic County Police Academy and receive self-defense instruction. The program is offered annually in October.

• DNA Life Print Program. The program took DNA samples from children aged infant to twelve years of age. The samples were given to the parents to be used in the event that their children need to be identified at a later date.

• Internet Safety – This program consists of  a 45 minute lecture given to every fourth grade in the township. Topics discussed are the how to avoid strangers and stalkers on the Internet, how to avoid  giving out any personal information and how to be safe while surfing the web.