About Us

Educated Encounters is an educational program designed by law enforcement executives, career prosecutors and educators to better foster community relations between students and the police. Our staff is comprised of current or retired law enforcement officers with no less than 25 years of distinguished service. All officers selected to teach our Student/ Athlete Program have backgrounds in athletics, coaching and/ or youth programs. 


Our School Based Program has been Board of Education approved, and provides an opportunity for police officers and students to have meaningful connections in the classroom. Our programs have reached over 2,000 students to date. 


In any police interaction, there is a chance to mitigate, or aggravate the situation. Our philosophy is that if people understand the roles and responsibilities of the police officers, there will be less misunderstanding, more compliance, and a greater understanding and respect for the rules and laws. 

Using real life scenarios, officers and students are provided with talking points that lead to discussion which help students gain a fundamental understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the police.

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OUR FOUNDER

Andrea Craparotta

Andrea Craparotta, a retired Captain from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, is the creator of Educated Encounters, a Police/ Student Initiative to Promote Safety and Community Relations. She is currently a Training and Investigative Consultant with South and Associates, LLC based out of New Jersey and South Carolina, and has an extensive background in education and law enforcement.


Ms. Craparotta began her career in 1988 with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. In 1990, she joined the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office with assignment to the Narcotics Task Force. In 1998, she was assigned as a Task Force Officer with the Newark Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) where she received the Administrator's Award for outstanding contributions to drug enforcement. Ms. Craparotta also had assignment to Homicide, Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, Bias Crimes, Juvenile, Vertical Prosecution, and Training Units. She also served as the Interim Director of Police at Middlesex County College. 


Ms. Craparotta has a robust educational background having earned a Masters Degree in Education from Seton Hall University, a Certificate in Law Enforcement Executive Leadership from Rutgers University, and a Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia. Ms. Craparotta has twice testified before the United States subcommittee on Crime regarding her experiences as an undercover operative and was also an invited participant at the Oxford Round Table on Criminal Law at Oxford University, England. In 2011, she graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and has two published statements that are contained within the FBI Academy Library. In addition, Ms. Craparotta has served as adjunct faculty member for Rutgers University and Brookdale Community College, and was a certified instructor with the Police Training Commission and a certified firearms instructor.


As a result of her work in the field of law enforcement, Ms. Craparotta has had appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, MSNBC Investigates, Inside Edition and more.  She has presented on various safety and educational topics in both government and corporate sectors nationwide. 


Ms. Craparotta is currently a member of the FBI National Academy Associates. She is on the Board of Trustees for New Jersey Women in Law Enforcement and Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County, New Jersey. She is a past president of the New Jersey Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association, and a past member of Harvard Associates in Police Science. 

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