Ambler Campus, Temple University

It is a rare individual who will place themselves in danger to ensure the safety of others. Police Officers do so on a daily basis, placing the protection of their communities above all else.

On Friday, March 6, 16 individuals took the next step in protecting and serving during Temple University Municipal Police Academy Graduation ceremonies held at the Ambler Campus.

“The Municipal Police Academy offered at Ambler is a 20-week course. The curriculum entails all of the courses — academic, physical fitness, defensive tactics, firearms —
necessary to become a certified police officer in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Tim Bucher, Director of the Temple University Municipal Police Academy, part of the University’s Criminal Justice Training Programs (CJTP). “Our goal is to train and prepare students for
a career in law enforcement. Our students have either been hired by an area police department and sent to our program for training or they come to us as individuals with the intention of entering the law enforcement field.”

The most recent class, Bucher said, included officers from the Easton Police Department, a student offered a position with the Upper Dublin Police Department, and two individuals in the last stages of the hiring process with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department.

About 225 family, friends, instructors, and fellow law enforcement members packed the Ambler Campus Learning Center Auditorium for the March 6 ceremony. Jayne Challman, Assistant Special Agent in charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, provided the keynote address, speaking to the graduates about “the rigors
of law enforcement, the career, and the opportunities our graduates will have,” said Bucher.

The Bensalem Township Police Department provided the honor guard for the ceremony while John Lehnen, Chaplain of the Bucks County Fraternal Order of Police and a member of the Buckingham Township Police Department, gave the invocation. Bucher began the ceremony with opening remarks while Frank Colantonio, Associate Director of the Criminal Justice Training Programs, congratulated the new graduates.

Joseph Lewis provided the class address. He was also the
recipient of two Police Academy awards, including the Firearms Award and the award for Highest Overall Average. Additional awards were presented to Richard Ford of the Easton Police Department (Most Improved Driver); Douglas Hotchkiss (Physical Fitness Award); and Kevin Shanahan of the Upper Dublin Police Department (Academic Award).

“Through the Municipal Police Academy, we are building the next generation of law enforcement professionals. It is a rigorous program, but our students come out able to serve as capable police officers in the state of Pennsylvania,” Bucher said. “Prospects for our graduates are very good. Their training
certainly gives them a leg up as police departments can hire
them and put them right to work.”

The next Temple University Municipal Police Academy at the Ambler Campus begins Monday, May 18. Individuals interested
in applying may contact Tim Bucher at 267-468-8605 or tfbucher@temple.edu or visit www.temple.edu/cjtp, where the application and information are available online.

Criminal Justice Training Programs has made the Ambler Campus a focal point for criminal justice training and curriculum development in Pennsylvania.

Criminal Justice Training Programs (CJTP), a division of the Temple University Department of Criminal Justice, has assumed
a leadership role in the training of Pennsylvania’s criminal justice practitioners. From the Temple University Municipal Police Academy to the in-service police training, to curriculum development for Deputy Sheriffs, to the in-service training for Deputy Sheriff’s and basic and in-service training for Constables, the Ambler Campus program is one of the busiest law enforcement training centers in the state.

Criminal Justice Training Programs has conducted training for a variety of criminal justice agencies and occupations since 1968. Today over four thousand criminal justice professionals attend programs offered by CJTP each year including police officers, deputy sheriffs, state constables, legislative security officers, and magisterial district court staff. Other activities include criminal justice continuing education programs for agencies allied to the criminal justice system, citizen, or community groups and the development of training curricula for various occupations. Students in any major who are completing their degree program are eligible to attend the police academy in preparation for a career in law enforcement.