PRINTER'S NO. 2723
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
638
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY PAYNE, GINGRICH, READSHAW, BAKER, BARBIN, BARRAR,
BIZZARRO, BOBACK, R. BROWN, V. BROWN, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN,
CONKLIN, CORBIN, D. COSTA, SCHLEGEL CULVER, DAVIS,
DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, DRISCOLL, DUSH, EVERETT, GODSHALL,
GOODMAN, GREINER, GROVE, HARHART, A. HARRIS, HEFFLEY,
HENNESSEY, HICKERNELL, PHILLIPS-HILL, JAMES, JOZWIAK,
KAUFFMAN, KILLION, KINSEY, KOTIK, LEWIS, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY,
MARSHALL, MARSICO, MASSER, METZGAR, MILLARD, MURT, NEILSON,
O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, ORTITAY, D. PARKER, PETRI, PICKETT,
QUIGLEY, RAPP, REGAN, ROSS, ROZZI, SACCONE, SANTORA, SAYLOR,
SCHLOSSBERG, SCHWEYER, SONNEY, TAYLOR, TOEPEL, VEREB, WARD,
WHEELAND, WHITE, ZIMMERMAN, MILNE AND WATSON,
JANUARY 21, 2016
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JANUARY 21, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Celebrating the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police was established as an
executive department of State government by an act of the
General Assembly in 1905 and became not only the first uniformed
police organization of its kind in the nation, but also a model
for other state police agencies throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, Initially, newly enlisted Pennsylvania State
Policemen, referred to as "probationers," turned to their
commanding officer and senior men of the troop for training in
the skills they needed for police work; and
WHEREAS, A more standardized and efficient method was needed
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and, in 1910, the superintendent designated Troop C Pottsville
as a training center for all student recruits; and
WHEREAS, In 1921, an act of the General Assembly allowed for
the first official State Police Training School to be
established in Newville, Cumberland County; and
WHEREAS, Three years later the training school was moved to
better facilities on Cocoa Avenue in Hershey, Dauphin County;
and
WHEREAS, From 1924 to 1959, the Hershey Training School
molded student recruits into the finest troopers in the nation;
and
WHEREAS, As the complement grew steadily, it became apparent
that the needs of the department were outgrowing the facilities
on Cocoa Avenue; and
WHEREAS, In an effort to keep the training school in the
area, the Hershey Estates Board of Directors sold 28 acres of
land situated atop "The Hill," which allowed the department to
build a state-of-the-art facility; and
WHEREAS, Act 112 of 1959 pronounced that the new training
school would be known as the State Police Academy, rather than
the State Police Training School and, in 1960, the act was
amended to change the enlistee's title from "Student Recruit" to
"Cadet"; and
WHEREAS, Due to this legacy of intense and thorough training,
the Pennsylvania State Police Academy is still considered the
West Point of all police training schools in the country and
continues to produce the most well-trained troopers in the
world; and
WHEREAS, Currently, the training offered at the academy is
designed to prepare the cadets for field assignments and
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emphasizes such subjects as criminal law and procedure, the
Vehicle Code, accident investigation, firearms training and
self-defense; and
WHEREAS, One of the unique phases of the student's training
revolves around equitation skills; and
WHEREAS, In addition to cadet training, the academy and
former training schools have also performed specialized police
services as needed; and
WHEREAS, Today, the academy coordinates community service
programs, oversees the Ceremonial Unit and Tactical Mounted Unit
and offers in-service training programs for State Police
personnel and training courses for municipal officers; and
WHEREAS, Since its opening in 1960, 141 classes of cadets
have graduated from the academy in Hershey; and
WHEREAS, Two classes graduated in 2015, consisting of 122
cadets, men and women, on May 22, 2015, and 95 cadets on
December 4, 2015; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police Academy continues to
produce the finest troopers in order to provide the residents of
this Commonwealth with the most effective Statewide law
enforcement system possible; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate the
Pennsylvania State Police Academy.
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