Somerset County awards five scholarships to increase diversity in police force

Five Somerset County police recruits have been selected for scholarships at the Somerset County Police Academy to help diversify their local police departments.

Brianna Robinson, Joanna Coppola, Vanessa Hunter, Kimberly Vasquez and Gianmarco Acevedo are the five winners of the 2024 award.

They will work at the Bound Brook Police Department, the Branchburg Police Department, the Montgomery Police Department, the South Bound Brook Police Department and the Watchung Police Department, respectively.

The award winners, four women and one man, will attend the Somerset County Police Academy and are guaranteed employment with their police departments upon graduation.

After completing the training, the police departments undertake to employ the graduates for at least two years.

More:Bound Brook launches community policing program. This is what it will do

The grant is administered by the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office and funded by the American Rescue Plan in partnership with Somerset County.

The grant is designed to help police departments gain a better understanding of the local communities they serve by diversifying their officers.

“This police scholarship program has been an amazing success, helping local residents who might not otherwise be able to afford the academy become police officers in the communities where they grew up,” said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. “The program is having the intended impact, enriching our local law enforcement agencies with highly intelligent, motivated young men and women who truly represent their community.”

Since 2022, twelve scholarship recipients have been selected from nine Somerset County police departments.

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