UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The trio of deputies leading the latest class through the Penn State-run Pennsylvania Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Education and Training Program have all been inspired by a family history of serving and protecting their communities.
Class President Troy Galambos and Platoon Leader Xavier Harrison-Oliver, from Montgomery County, along with Vice President Alex Cameron, from Northampton County, have led the class of 36 deputies through 19 weeks of rigorous training.
When the class graduates on Nov. 21, they will leave with the tools needed to serve their communities and for the class leaders to follow their family members’ footsteps.
“All the men in my family have been military or law enforcement, sometimes both,” said Harrison-Oliver, who also served his country in the U.S. Navy. “For them to see me go across that stage and complete this journey, I think is going to be a cool moment for my family.”
The class is the 72nd group of sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to graduate since the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency selected the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute, which is a Penn State Outreach unit, as the academy’s administrator in 2000.
During the academy, trainees received instruction in several law enforcement areas, including Pennsylvania crime codes and civil procedures, cultural diversity, ethics, firearms, first responder/first aid, defensive tactics, courtroom security and physical training.
After serving in the military and a brief stint with the Seattle Police Department, Harrison-Oliver said he is excited to use the tactics he learned at the academy to make a positive impact in the community he grew up in.
“I think with the perception of law enforcement right now, it is important that if you want to see a change in your community, you have to be that change in the community,” Harrison-Oliver said. “So, who better than someone who understands what it is like to live there and knows the people.”
Serving as vice president for the class has been an honor for Cameron. With a father who served as canine officer in Easton, he always wanted to go into law enforcement. After stepping away from the field for two years after earning an associate degree in criminal justice from Kutztown University, Cameron said he is glad to now be in a position where he can be a positive role model for others, like his father was to him.
“It is nice to be able to represent my community, where I grew up, in a positive manner and be able to go out there and be a positive role model for kids and even adults. Just changing people’s perspectives on law enforcement, I think, is a win,” Cameron said. He said the academy has helped prepare him to do that.
“Everything we learned was well done. Communication was an especially important aspect, and learning how to talk with different people,” Cameron said. “Learning how to handle people who are in a crisis and helping them get through it and defuse the situation, if possible. That is something I’ll take with me, too.”
It was his family’s history in law enforcement that led Galambos to earn a degree in criminal justice from West Chester University and then become a deputy sheriff. He said he is excited to surprise his family during the graduation ceremony, when they will learn for the first time that he earned the position of class president when he addresses the class. He said he has grown a lot over the course of the training program.
“This is my first job out of college, and for a young person, it matures you a lot. Serving in a leadership role at this academy has definitely helped me develop a better understanding of other people’s backgrounds and how to juggle other people’s personalities,” Cameron said. “This a high-stress job, and we will be in stressful situations, so being able to breathe and think back to our training, and all the material that we learned here, is going to help us all in those situations.”
After leading the class as president, Galambos said that it will be difficult to say goodbye after seeing the class come so far.
“We are a really tight-knit group, and you have seen everyone’s struggles and wins through 19 weeks, so you will be able to replay everyone’s story as they walk across the stage to get their certificates and how far they have come,” Galambos said. “But we will always have this connection and be able to reach out to each other as our careers continue.”
The Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Education and Training Program provides certification and re-certification for approximately 2,100 active sheriffs and deputy sheriffs across the commonwealth. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency website.