Evesham Police Sgt. Carl Scutt was presented with an academic achievement award for his performance in a leadership and supervision school held at Gloucester County Police Academy.
The Evesham Township Police Department isn’t shy about highlighting the brave actions officers often perform during their regular duties, but recently the department made sure to highlight an officer for his actions in the classroom.
At the Dec. 13 Evesham Township Council meeting, Police Sgt. Carl Scutt was presented with an academic achievement award for his performance in a recent leadership and supervision school held at Gloucester County Police Academy.
According to retired state police office Bill Perna, who serves as curriculum coordinator at the school, Scutt had the highest academic average for his class.
Perna described the school as specifically designed to be “tough,” so those who score the highest are honored with a plaque before their department’s mayor and council.
“We make it hard for a reason,” Perna said. “It’s a tough job today, and you rely on your supervisors. You rely that they need to be trained, you rely on education, and that’s what we tried to do with the school.”
Scutt, who was described by others at the meeting as always wanting to shy away from the limelight, simply said he was thankful to Perna presenting him with the award, and he was thankful for the praise he received from the mayor, chief of police and township manager.
“I appreciate everything, and all the guys from the department that are here, I appreciate it,” Scutt said.
Chief of Police Christopher Chew, who was also present at the meeting, spoke about Scutt’s accomplishment and the difficulty of the school, describing it as one highest regarded supervising classes in tri-state area.
“It’s very in depth and it’s hard,” Chew said. “There’s tests daily and homework and it’s also worth three graduate credits for Fairleigh Dickinson University, so that’s how comprehensive the course is.”
Chew also noted that Scutt’s dedication to his job goes beyond the classroom, as Scutt has yet to utilize a single sick day in his 16 years as a member of the Evesham Township Police Department.
“It just goes to show the dedication of Carl to his community, and he’s one of our shining stars. He worked really hard to get this award, and we’re proud of him,” Chew said.
While at the meeting, Perna also praised the entire police department for having the most members from a single department act as instructors at the leadership and supervision school, with Chew, Capt. Walt Miller and Capt. Thomas Reinholt all serving in that role.
“I have Chief Chew, I brought him in the first day, and he summarized, without notes, the entire school from the top of his head. It was amazing,” Perna said.
With Scutt’s high academic performance in the school, Perna said he might see Scutt serve as an instructor someday as well.
