The RX5 Cyber EnVision Center, which opened on Atlantic Avenue in 2020, is viewed as Atlantic City's hub for cybersecurity, providing training, continuing education and resources for the community.
Selena Vazquez
ATLANTIC CITY -- To enhance the city's cybersecurity and provide job opportunities outside of the casino industry, 20 residents will receive the training needed to install artificial intelligence cameras throughout the city as part of a new program.
The workforce training was made possible by a $1 million Atlantic City Cyber Crime Reduction Program grant. The grant was awarded to the nonprofit U.S. Humanitarian Aid Response Team Cares (U.S HART Cares), which has its RX5 Cyber EnVision Center in the city. The Cyber EnVision Center, which opened on Atlantic Avenue in 2020, is viewed as the city's hub for cybersecurity, providing training, continuing education and resources for the community.
"So here we are today with this enormous opportunity to become America's first cyber city. Folks that I know who work for the Department of Defense, or some of these guys that work for the FBI, the NSA or these other organizations, instead of looking out the window of the Pentagon protecting America, they would love to look out the window at the ocean while they're protecting America. And that's why this is such an attractive opportunity for America to make Atlantic City the cybersecurity city of America as a hub," said Jimmy Whitehead, chairman of U.S. HART Cares.
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The cameras the residents will install would help deter and capture crimes in real time in the city's Tourism District.
The training will start in about 30 days, around early October, Whitehead said.
The grant for the program was secured by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, who announced the award in January. The grant was part of a $10.3 million community project fund that is allocated for jobs and improving public safety in South Jersey.
"I like to see actions, and I believe that that's what this is about," Van Drew said Tuesday. "I don't care if you're Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever it is, everybody wants to be safe when they go home, don't they? ... We have a goal to make the city safer and increase economic opportunity for some folks that normally don't get this opportunity, even though they have the desire."
The five-phase program is open to all city residents.
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The program is currently in the recruitment and preparation phase, which will be followed by an operational system design and testing, and IT training.
Organizations like Jewish Family Service of Atlantic and Cape May Counties, which is partnered with RX5, can help candidates prepare resumes, apply and assist with other job readiness skills.
Work training lasts about 12 weeks, followed by a 30-week installation and employment phase working with the city's Police Department.
The last phase includes checking in on candidates throughout their first six months to a year after completing the program.
"When you put a camera up, it's not just put it up and forget it. There are things that have to be done to maintain that camera, there's security that has to be done for that, infrastructure has to be put in place. So this just keeps paying dividends over and over again," said James Sarkos, the city's police chief. "There's an old saying that says nothing stops a bullet like a job, and the things that we're doing here with creating these jobs are really going to help the future of Atlantic City."
Last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated a 33% increase in cybersecurity jobs in the country, which was an increase of more than 59,000 in the industry.
The city also has taken steps to develop more cybersecurity initiatives for the community. The Police Department established its surveillance center in 2016, which monitors the city's 48 blocks.
Eventually, the new cybersecurity program hopes to expand past its first cohort of 20 individuals and offer the opportunity to other residents, said Kaleem Shabazz, City Council vice president.
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Shabazz, who is also the president of the local NAACP branch, said the program will offer social justice and equity to the community, which was the goal of the organization.
"We have to expand careers outside of casinos. There's nothing wrong with those casino jobs, but there has to be other opportunities," said Shabazz. "I would hope that you understand that we don't just want to have 20 in the first cohort. ... We want 20 more after that, and 20 more after that, because cybersecurity is a big, big field."
Contact Selena Vazquez:
609-272-7225
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