The Academy is open to residents of Bergen County and takes place one night a week for ten weeks.
Citizens learn about the history and functions of municipal police.
Role playing, where citizens conduct motor vehicle stops and respond to domestic violence calls, give the students a chance to experience what a typical police officer deals with each day. During 1997 a total of 5,402 summonses were issued for moving violations and 6,740 summonses were issued for parking violations. Officers made 65 arrests for driving while intoxicated, took 25 animal bite reports, made 116 arrests for other departments, responded to 102 fires, and 2,128 first aid calls, reported 161 traffic lights, and 69 street light malfunctions, and located 121 insecure premises. Members of the Service Division's ID Bureau respond to crime scenes to document and collect physical evidence. One mission of the Detective Bureau is to conduct proactive and latent investigations to ferret out crime in furtherance of the Police Department's goal to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Teaneck.