The first Trooper Youth Week summer program was initiated on June 28, 1965 at the New Jersey State Police Training Academy, Sea Girt, NJ. The New Jersey State Police saw an opportunity to develop a summer program to attract high school students to the New Jersey State Police. The initial program was developed by the Safety Education Bureau, which was responsible for the coordination of the crossing guard, safety patrol and poster programs associated with the elementary educational levels. The New Jersey State Police had not to this point targeted the high school educational level as prospective applicants. The New Jersey State Police minimum educational requirement at this time was a high school diploma. The Trooper Youth Week summer program was conceived as a means of attracting the high school age youth of our state. They would be indoctrinated into the specific academic and physical requirements necessary for a career in law enforcement. This summer program would also serve to provide a true understanding of the many career opportunities within the New Jersey State Police. The Trooper Youth Week summer program still contains many of the core components from the first program initiated in 1965.

This summer program continues to attract competent, dedicated, moral, and diverse applicants from all areas of New Jersey. The mission of the New Jersey State Police has grown immensely since the initial Trooper Youth Week summer program in 1965. The format of the Trooper Youth Week summer program has been expanded to adequately reflect these same substantive changes. The typical summer week long residential program is inclusive of a disciplined quasi-military environment supervised by the enlisted members of the New Jersey State Police. This program's daily block schedule of military drill, structured fast moving classroom programs, practical exercises and physical training serves to simulate a true recruit training experience. The program's core values emphasize integrity, honesty, courtesy, professionalism, human dignity and respect, and teamwork.