Pennsylvania State Police Celebrates 100th Anniversary
The
Pennsylvania State Police, the first uniformed police organization of its kind
in the United States and CALEA’s largest accredited agency, marked its 100th
Anniversary this past Spring with a series of events to celebrate the
department’s storied past. The centennial activities commenced with a reception
at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center for 450 persons on the evening of
April 29, 2005, and continued with a service the following day at the Memorial
Wall at the State Police Academy. The service honored the 90 members killed in
the line of duty since the creation of the department on May 2, 1905.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller provided remarks during the program, which recalled the events leading to the first loss of members of the State Police in 1906. He spoke of those that sacrificed their lives as “soldiers of the law” and urged current members to live in a way so that future troopers will know that they were “forever faithful to the department, our core values, and the citizens we serve.”
A well-attended family picnic was held on the academy grounds immediately following the Memorial Day service, which included tours of the academy, games, a fitness challenge, and static displays. During the event, the Mounted Unit presented a demonstration, and the Ceremonial Unit performed a rifle drill. Other activities included a gala banquet and a bicycle ride with an estimated 1,000 persons participating.
The activities were the culmination of months of planning and preparation by a Centennial Committee headed by Major Robert R. Einsel and Lieutenant Rodney A. Manning of the Bureau of Training and Education. CALEA congratulates the Pennsylvania State Police on their exemplary service over the past 100 years and applauds their commitment to excellence, demonstrated by their continued compliance with CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Standards since July 1993.
