Thursday, Aug. 11, Newark Deputy Mayor Margarita Muniz, Police Director Samuel A. DeMaio, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, Essex County Chief of Detectives Anthony Ambrose, Acting Police Chief Sheilah A. Coley, Fire Director Fateen A. Ziyad, Fire Chief John G. Centanni, members of the Municipal Council and other dignitaries held a graduation ceremony for 40 Newark youth aged 10-14 from the city’s first-ever Youth Public Safety Academy. Each academy participant was presented with a certificate of program completion during the graduation ceremony.
The Youth Public Safety Academy is a joint project of the Newark police and fire departments in conjunction with the Essex County prosecutor’s office. Its mission is to educate participants about each agency’s primary functions and operations with hands-on instruction and tours of training sites at the police and fire departments and the prosecutor’s office. Program participants learned how to report crimes and resist gangs and gang activity.
After the ceremony, NewarkNow provided program graduates with free T-shirts.