Mr. Dennis DeAngelis Jr. is a special law enforcement officer, class III, employed by the Washington Township Police Department. Officer DeAngelis brings 30 years of dedicated law enforcement and public safety experience to IHA. As a class III police officer*, certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission, he specializes in campus safety and security, crisis response planning, and proactive mentorship within the school.

Officer DeAngelis is a graduate of Pace University, where he earned a B.S. degree in criminal justice. He was most recently employed at Saddle River Day School in the capacity of a school security officer. Prior to this role, Officer DeAngelis served with the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, where he gained extensive experience as a police sergeant in the Traffic Division. He was also a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer, where he taught 5th and 8th grade DARE curriculum in the Woodcliff Lake School system.

Officer DeAngelis is certified as a traffic safety specialist by Kean University and as a work zone safety specialist. He also completed extensive formal traffic crash investigation training from Northwestern University, becoming certified as a crash reconstructionist, and served 10 years on the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Task Force. He holds numerous additional certifications in school resource officer protocols, active threat response, active shooter, retired police officer carry permit, CPR/AED, Narcan, and first aid.

Previously, he was a member of the Bergen County Traffic Officers Association executive board and a longtime member of the association. He has been the recipient of numerous prestigious law enforcement awards, including an Automated External Defibrillator Life Saving Award, a Narcan Life Saving Award, and two Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation Life Saving Awards.

Committed to fostering a secure, welcoming, and positive atmosphere, Officer DeAngelis said, “I look forward to working closely with school administrators, faculty, and families to ensure that students can learn and grow in a safe and secure environment. I am excited to be part of the Immaculate Heart Academy community.”

*Class III officers are retired law enforcement personnel who are trained and certified to serve in schools to ensure safety and security. The State of New Jersey defines a class III officer as, “Officers of this class shall be authorized to exercise full powers and duties similar to those of a permanent, regularly appointed full-time police officer while providing security at a public or nonpublic school or a county college on the school or college premises during hours when the public or nonpublic school or county college is normally in session or when it is occupied by public or nonpublic school or county college students or their teachers or professors. While on duty in the jurisdiction of employment, an officer may respond to offenses or emergencies off school or college grounds if they occur in the officer’s presence while traveling to a school facility or county college, but an officer shall not otherwise be dispatched or dedicated to any assignment off school or college property.