Cadets investigate methods of law enforcement
North Brunswick Junior Police Academy held for two weeks
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Cadets line up in ranks during the fifth annual North Brunswick Junior Police Academy, being held this week and next week at Linwood Middle School.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The FBI has 12,000 special agents and 18,000 analysts and professional staff members working in 450 cities across the United States and 60 countries around the world. There are explosives experts, counterterrorism agents, a hostage rescue team, an evidence recovery team, hazmat members and cyber-crime specialists. Trained in Quantico, Va., the FBI's mission in a post- Sept. 11 world is to combat terrorism before a catastrophic event occurs.

Red Nucum and Kescha Wilson, members of the FBI, spoke to cadets of the North Brunswick Junior Police Academy on Aug. 7, one of several training sessions, workshops, interactive lessons and physical training exercises the teenagers participated in during the two-week police program.

Wilson, who is now a recruiter for the FBI, said anyone between the ages of 23 and 37 can apply for a position. Backgrounds in intelligence, computer science, physical science, law, law enforcement, the military, psychology, engineering, mechanics, accounting and international relations are accepted, and being fluent in two or more languages is preferred. There is a written examination, interviews, a polygraph test and a physical fitness test.

"Police work and FBI work are very stressful. Being in shape helps a lot," Nucum said. "Everything is a test … so you're always continuing education."

Nucum said that "as an agent, you have to be adaptable and adjustable to different types of crime" because although terrorism is now the main focus, narcotics, gangs, bank fraud, credit card fraud and identity theft cases are also dealt with.

Nucum said his biggest investigation was as a narcotics investigator, when U.S. Customs in California found large containers filled with Chinese heroin. He said the job took him to Australia and New Zealand to arrest a suspect.

He also said that as a SWAT team member he investigated the U.S. Embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.

"The downside of going through the Bureau is that they own you," he said. "But there are a lot of opportunities to travel. If you like to travel, they'll send you. And there are no bad trips, for the most part."

The same statement about opportunity also applies to the Junior Police Academy: the cadets rarely complain about the activities they participate in, and instead have learned a lot from the program.

First-time cadet Davon Knight, 14, said he joined because he wanted to become a better player in football. He said he has "been out running," and his discipline has improved.

Matt Arcure, 13, had similar sentiments, saying that he "wanted to learn to run more — and it actually did help." The Linwood Middle School football player said that in addition to learning about the FBI and hazmat, the physical acts of push-ups and leg flutters have made practice easier.

"I started football practice already, and last year I was one of the last kids in the line and this year I am one of the first."

Sarah Gaston, 13, who will be a ninthgrader at North Brunswick Township High School in September, said she joined the group because her mom told her it would be a good experience. She said she has "learned how to be careful with guns" and is more "respectful to myself and others."

Although she doesn't really have an interest in law enforcement, she said she learns something new about police work every day.

Brandon Gunter, who is in his second year of the academy, said the police training last year, such as marching and gun safety, made him want to come back again. The Linwood eighth-grader said his parents have noticed an improvement at home.

"It's good for kids because if you don't have anything to do over the summer, you can learn about law enforcement and police."

N

icholas Eucaliptus, 13, of Milltown,

returned to the squad for the third year because "I love being in rank," he said. With aspirations of becoming a police officer or fireman, he said he is learning "everything a cop knows" and this "makes me wise up and be more mature in life." He said his favorite activity last year was screaming at a fellow cadet who was pretending to be an unruly driver during a traffic stop, but he dislikes all of the tests.

The fifth annual academy is being directed by North Brunswick Detectives Michael McCormick and Michael Campbell, and the drill instructors are Officers Craig Patton, Joseph Grasso and Thomas Vingara.

The other programs have been led by members of the North Brunswick Police Department, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, Middlesex County Hazmat, the municipal court, the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the Franklin Police Department, the North Brunswick Park Rangers, the North Brunswick Fire Department, and the North Brunswick First Aid & Rescue Squad, and include marching drills, physical training, a K-9 demonstration, traffic stops, arrest procedures, handcuffing, fingerprinting, crime sketch artwork, the penal code, women in law enforcement, courtroom procedures, gun safety, nutrition, evidence, gangs, identify theft and report writing.