Warwick officer receives Conklin scholarship

Warwick - Town of Warwick Police Officer Robert DeYoung recently became the 29th recipient of the Jason D. Conklin Memorial Scholarship Fund. He was one of 30 recruits who graduated from the Orange County Police Academy on Jan. 26. The Scholarship Fund was established in memory of Jason D. Conklin, a Tuxedo Park police officer who died in the line of duty shortly after graduating from the Rockland Police Academy, to assist young men and women pursuing their goals to become police officers. Some recruits have to pay their own tuition, purchase uniforms and equipment to attend the police academy and the scholarship covers this expense. Of the 29 recipients, some have used the scholarship to attend college. Students pursuing a degree in criminal justice can also apply for the scholarship and if they meet the criteria, they could be awarded the scholarship to financially assist them. About half of the recipients were awarded the scholarship for college and the other half were awarded the scholarship for tuition at the Rockland Police Academy. Now that Orange County started it’s own academy, applicants will be selected from there as well. The scholarship is funded through donations and two annual fund raisers: A venison dinner, which was held Feb. 3, and a golf outing that is held in July at the Otterkill Golf Course. To learn more about the scholarship, visit the Web site: www.jasonconklin.com.