The Middletown Township Police Department held its first Police Youth Week Camp of the summer this week. There were 63 children, between the ages of 8 to 11, who participated in the program which gave them their first exposure to law enforcement at the recruit phase.

The Police Youth Week program, run by Lieutenant Charles Terefenko and Sergeant Kevin Gardiner, is a combination of classroom style learning and physical training. Participants learned firsthand about a wide variety of law enforcement training and techniques including officer safety, crime scene investigations, traffic enforcement and the K-9 unit. The program also emphasized the importance of citizenship and community policing. 

The week concluded with a graduation ceremony on Friday, July 13th at the Brookdale Student Life Center. Committeeman Tony Perry handed out certificates along with Police Chief Craig Weber, Detective Lieutenant Paul Bailey, and Community Relations Officer Rick Cruz.