LONG BRANCH — If you call 9-1-1 in Monmouth County, chances are a graduate of the Academy of Law and Public Safety (ALPS) is taking the call, thanks to a partnership between the Academy and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
Since 2022, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division has been teaching a 9-1-1 Telecommunications course for seniors at the Academy of Law and Public Safety in Long Branch, part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
Successful completion of the required course results in certification to become a basic 9-1-1 telecommunications officer or a basic emergency medical dispatch officer.
Joe Diver, principal at the Academy of Law and Public Safety, said the required course provides students with another valuable qualification in their Academy education and training portfolio which already includes certification for the Security Officer Registration Act, Special Law Enforcement Officer training and First Aid/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/Automated External Defibrillator training.
“This course not only helps fulfill a need in Monmouth County but also adds an important skill set to the training and career preparation our students receive,” Diver said. “We are very fortunate and grateful to partner with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office on this training program.”
People calling 9-1-1- in an emergency are often experiencing a range of raw emotions fueled by fear, trauma and urgency. Students in the 9-1-1 course learn how to deal with these emotions while remaining calm and obtaining critical information needed to quickly dispatch the appropriate agency to respond — police, fire or ambulance — often while lives are at stake.
Students hear recordings of actual calls that dispatchers have taken and also role play dispatch calls with instructors to learn how to respond.
“This isn’t a job you pick up quickly, it’s all application based,” said Dawn Sommeling, 9-1-1 Coordinator for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office. “It either sticks or doesn’t stick. Obviously, we’re dealing with people’s lives, so you can’t make mistakes.”
About 80 students have completed the course since it was first offered four years ago and about a dozen graduates are currently employed by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division which operates two 9-1-1 Centers. Those centers serve 32 law enforcement agencies, 106 fire departments, 43 first aid squads, and answer 9-1-1 calls for 50 municipalities.
“We are proud to partner with the Monmouth County Vocational School District’s Academy of Law & Public Safety to help prepare the next generation of highly trained professionals who aspire to become a part of our nationally accredited Communications Division,” said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. “Programs like this provide students with a tremendous opportunity to explore a rewarding career in public safety while gaining the skills and certifications needed to succeed as future public safety telecommunicators — a role that’s vital to emergency response which keeps residents and communities safe every day.”
Jackie Huynh graduated from ALPS in 2017, before the ALPS partnership with the Sheriff’s Office began. After graduation, she worked as a part-time special law enforcement officer for the Belmar Police Department before being asked to join the department full time as a dispatcher. She went through the dispatcher training and has since become a dispatcher for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
Two years ago, she found herself back at her alma mater teaching the 9-1-1 Telecommunications course to ALPS students. Huynh said she tries to bring her own experiences as a dispatcher to the classroom to engage students and emphasize the communications skills that are critical to being a good dispatcher.
“We are truly the first responder because we speak to the public before the police or fire department even know there is a need for help,” Huynh said. “You really have to hone your communication skills.”
Though she teaches the course at other schools, as well, Huynh said the experience of being back at ALPS is special to her. “I never thought I would be one of those people going back and sharing my experiences about how ALPS got me to where I am,” Huynh said. “ALPS opened up so many opportunities for me. It truly was one of the best experiences I ever had and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
About ALPS
Located in Long Branch, the Academy of Law and Public Safety (ALPS) is a full-time, four-year Career Academy that prepares high school students for law and criminal justice careers. Field experiences throughout the county further students’ learning and help them forge connections that may lead to future employment. ALPS students can earn as many as 26 transferrable credits through dual-enrollment agreements with Brookdale Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Students may also apply to become a Class 1 Special Law Enforcement Officer (SLEO) in their senior year — a year earlier than they would be eligible to apply if not enrolled in ALPS.
This article originally appeared June 2, 2025 in The Monmouth Journal.
