LITTLE EGG HARBOR – Some of the law enforcement officers now patrolling Ocean County streets, responding to emergencies and training the next generation of recruits first learned how to conduct a traffic stop, secure a crime scene or lead a team as teenagers in the Ocean County Sheriff’s Public Safety Cadet Program.
Ten years after the program began, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Center filled with mentors, law enforcement officers and young cadets celebrating what has become both a pipeline into public safety careers and a second family for many who joined.
The anniversary gathering reunited former cadets now serving in policing, dispatching, corrections and other public safety roles with the current generation following in their footsteps. Officers from departments including Berkeley, Lacey and Toms River returned to reflect on how the program helped shape their careers.
Today, the program includes approximately 30 cadets from communities throughout Ocean County ranging in age from 14 to 21.
At the center of nearly every story shared during the evening was Detective Corporal Christine Farrell, the longtime coordinator credited with building and sustaining the program over the past decade. Former cadets repeatedly referred to her as a mentor, second mother and driving force behind the unit’s success.
Farrell described the anniversary as more than a celebration of longevity, telling the crowd it reflected “dedication, growth and our commitment to building the next generation of public safety leaders.” She thanked Sheriff Michael Mastronardy for trusting her to build and lead the program and credited the cadets and mentors for its success over the last decade.
“To our cadets, past and present, you’re the heart of this program,” Farrell said. “Your discipline, enthusiasm and willingness to step up to challenges are what makes this program right.” She also praised the mentors who volunteered their time over the years, calling them “the most incredible team of officers that we have ever had.”
Mastronardy credited Farrell and the program’s mentors for building the cadet unit into what it has become over the last decade. He also recognized Farrell’s husband, Mike, a Robbinsville police officer, for the support he has provided behind the scenes. Mastronardy, who served as a post advisor in Toms River in 1978 before the transition from Explorer programs to the modern cadet system, praised Farrell’s involvement on the national board and her efforts to expand opportunities for Ocean County cadets.
He pointed to former cadets now beginning careers in law enforcement as evidence of the program’s success and told current participants that the goal extends beyond preparing future police officers and sheriffs.
“It’s about supporting the next generation of police chiefs, sheriffs, whatever it may be,” Mastronardy said. “But more important than that position is being a good person among people every day.”
Building Future Leaders
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Public Safety Cadet Unit #1 was created as a career-oriented program for young people ages 14 through 21 interested in law enforcement and public safety careers. Over the years, cadets have trained in everything from domestic violence response and crime scene investigations to defensive tactics, burglary-in-progress scenarios and firearms safety.
But the program quickly became about much more than classroom instruction. Cadets volunteered at community events, worked traffic and crowd details during festivals and fairs, assisted during missing person searches and traveled across the state and country to compete against other cadet units in realistic law enforcement scenarios.
Farrell said the cadets’ success has always depended heavily on the officers and mentors who volunteered countless hours to train them.
“All of our mentors, you guys past and present, have been the glue that’s held this whole program together,” Farrell told the crowd.
Competition, Leadership And Mentors
The competitive side of the program became a major source of pride for Ocean County cadets, who regularly earned trophies at state and national competitions.
Former cadet Chris Ambrosio, now a newly hired recruit attending the police academy for the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, recalled how competition season transformed the unit each year.
“It would go from meeting twice a month for a couple hours to now we’re meeting two, three times a week to get ready for this,” he said, during his keynote address.
The scenarios often simulated real police work, forcing cadets to react under pressure while instructors evaluated everything from officer safety to communication skills. “You never truly knew what you were walking into,” Ambrosio said. “You’d just be like, ‘Alright guys, domestic violence in this random room in Stockton. Have fun,’ and you just walk in and now you have two people screaming at you.”
Ocean County cadets became known for their success at those competitions. “We weren’t going for two,” Ambrosio said. “We were going for number one.”
Ambrosio joined the cadets in 2016 as a 14 year old, who thought he might someday pursue either military service or policing. He said the program ultimately shaped both his career path and his confidence. “I also would not be the person I am today without this program,” he told current cadets earlier in the evening. “It really can make who you are as a person.”
He later described Farrell as a constant presence throughout his years in the program. “Officer Farrell really is like a second mother to me,” Ambrosio said during his remarks. “There were genuinely months where I spent more time with Officer Farrell.”
Ambrosio also credited the training structure Farrell developed with helping cadets transition into real-world law enforcement careers. “A lot of the tactics that you’re learning from here were taught to me by the same instructors at the police academy,” Ambrosio said. “You got to get ahead of the game.”
Leadership academies became another defining part of the cadet experience under Farrell’s leadership. She encouraged current cadets to speak with alumni who attended national programs, including Ambrosio, who eventually rose to become National Commander.
Ambrosio attended leadership academies in Missouri and Washington, D.C., where cadets trained alongside participants from across the country and built connections that still exist years later. “I have friends and connections to this day all over the country,” he said.
As the evening continued, current cadets rotated through demonstrations involving the Sheriff’s Office drone unit, K-9 teams and a driving simulator while a slideshow played images from the past decade. Photos of national competitions, parades, training exercises and candid moments reflected how deeply the program has become woven into the lives of many of its members.
For Ambrosio, the return to the anniversary celebration carried an added meaning. After years as a cadet competitor, mentor and national leader within the program, he is now preparing to begin his own law enforcement career with the same agency that helped shape him as a teenager.
“There’s only one place where you’re training as a youth to get as good as possible at being a cop, and you’re doing it now,” he said.
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