Pennsylvania probation officers learn new skills through PSU program

BOALSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Another class of probation officers is graduating from the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute, giving them helpful tips for the field.

Twenty-three officers from 11 counties had the chance to learn basic defense tactics through the Probation and Parole Training Program. The 40-hour training period over the course of a week goes over skills including how to use handcuffs, escort someone out of a room without handcuffs, and techniques on how to fight.

“It’s all defensive,” Pat Nuzzo, the program director, said. “So it’s not like the officers are looking at going out, looking for a fight. This is all to protect themselves and their partner if they work with a partner.”

The goal is to give officers the skill set they need in a job where “sometimes bad things happen.”

“It’s to keep them safe,” Nuzzo said. “Probation officers work in the field. They are going into people’s homes. They go to employment sites just to do check-up as part of the special conditions that are imposed by the courts of common pleas.”

Nuzzo says all probation officers are required to go through “some sort of training,” and this is just one option.

To find out which classes are available and to register, visit the institute’s website.