Community Outreach

Mission

The Outreach Unit is tasked with creating enhanced partnerships within the communities we serve throughout the state. The unit members develop and maintain relationships with civic organizations, community leaders/groups, and faith-based and non-profit organizations. The unit also develops and facilitates traffic safety strategies directed at drivers through grant-funded programs. Recognizing the importance of ensuring the safety of students and young drivers, the Outreach Unit is committed to actively evaluating and monitoring these needs and developing new methodologies and initiatives involving youth and public safety throughout the state. Through these efforts, the State Police can reduce the occurrence of juvenile-related crime and injuries and fatalities sustained in traffic crashes. The Outreach Unit in partnership with Victory Road help facilitate the St. Benedict’s Prep “Building Bridges” program aimed to build bonds of understanding and trust between communities of color and law enforcement. As a community outreach component, the Outreach Unit is responsible for administering and coordinating the NJSP Explorer Program. This year-round program has been influential in building relationships with youth throughout the state and providing character education and career information about law enforcement. Additionally, the Trooper Youth Week program, which takes place every summer at the State Police Academy, is administered by this unit.

Child Safety Seat Program

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of deaths of children over the age of six months in the United States. The proper use of child car seats is one of simplest and most effective methods available for protecting the lives of our children in the event of a motor vehicle crash. Only the correct use of child car seats will offer the protection that children need.

New Jersey Teen Driver Program

The program is implemented at high schools throughout the state to educate teens about the hazards of driving while under the influence and to reinforce safe driving practices. The program involves the use of golf carts and Fatal Vision goggles to experience the effects of alcohol on reaction time and vision distortion. While not completely exposing a student to the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol, this practical exercise, combined with a classroom presentation explaining the hazards of driving while under the influence of alcohol, has a lasting impact on students. The Graduate Drivers License (GDL) process is taught to students with an emphasis on the importance of the process.

Fatal Vision

The fatal vision goggles are a training tool to vividly demonstrate the concept of impairment and the dangers of impaired driving. This program can serve a dual purpose as a stand-alone lesson plan or in conjunction with a Driver’s Education presentation.

NJSP Outreach Unit

Bicycle Safety for Students

Acquaints the bicycle rider with the requirements and restrictions placed upon them by state law when they ride bicycles on public roads.

NJSP OUTREACH UNIT

Bicycle Patrol

The deployment of a Bicycle Patrol will facilitate the delivery of police services during specialized details in congested areas. These services will be delivered in a more-timely manner due to the mobility of a Bicycle Patrol. The program trains, certifies and instructs officers on the various aspects of Bicycle Patrol. Troopers and officers learn riding techniques that will help their respective departments when they target specific areas within their communities.

St. Benedict’s Prep “Building Bridges” Program

Developed to build bonds of understanding and trust between communities of color and law enforcement, Building Bridges is an initiative that brings students from St. Benedict’s Prep together with members of law enforcement for a shared experience involving physical, mental, and emotional challenges, as well as team building and reflection. Facilitated by Victory Road Leadership Development Group, the program launched in 2021 with a group of Benedict’s students and New Jersey State Troopers. Its aim is to become a national model that can be replicated locally, regionally and nationally.