UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A class of 38 newly hired deputy sheriffs from around the state are now prepared to serve their home communities after completing the Penn State-run Pennsylvania Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Education and Training Program.
After completing 19 weeks of training, the class will graduate from the program on May 16 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Class President Madison Rush, from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said she is excited to share the moment with her family.
“I have chills thinking about it and the pride that will come with it,” said Rush, whose father recently retired as a police chief and whose husband currently serves as a police officer. “I graduated from college, and this is 10 times more of an accomplishment in my family. Just the structure and responsibility that you have at this academy and the pride that I hope my family feels means a lot. I am excited for them to watch me because they all sacrificed too.”
Rush leads the 70th class of sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to graduate since the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) selected the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute (JASI) as the academy’s administrator in 2000.
She said she was honored to be chosen for a leadership role by her peers.
“It has been an honor, and it has been tough. It adds a whole new level of responsibly. But the instructors have been wonderful in helping me grow as a leader,” Rush said. “This class will be my colleagues, co-workers and friends through the rest of my career, and it has been a great experience to go through this with them.”
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.
Class Vice President Nathan Fisher, from the Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, said he learned the skills needed from the sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, judges and attorneys, and local, state and federal law enforcement officers who help deliver the training.
“In this academy, there is a wealth of knowledge drawn from the entire state, so that we as a class can then disperse back throughout the state and do our jobs. Everything that we have learned here will be implemented in any and everything that I do throughout the day as a deputy,” Fisher said. “I have been given the tools and the capability needed. I don’t think there has been anything taught by these instructors that has not been beneficial either now or in the years to come. It was definitely worth the decision to come here, and I’ll carry what I learned here with me for the rest of my life.”
Former military police officer and class platoon leader, Joseph Buccini from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, felt the call to serve again after a career working for the Pennsylvania Department of State and operating his own business. He said he is proud to have answered the call.
“There are not a lot of 50-years-olds going into the academy, so for me to know that I did it and that I committed to it is a great sense of accomplishment, achievement. There is pride in being able to continue to serve,” said Buccini.
Walking across a stage at Penn State during the graduating ceremony will bring things full circle for Buccini. After high school, he spent a year on campus studying criminal justice before he joined the military.
“It is special for me to say that I went back to Penn State even though I am not getting a bachelor's degree. But here I am, graduating from this academy that they are deeply involved in, and I am glad to be a part of it,” Buccini said.
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 PCCD website.
JASI is a Penn State Outreach unit.