This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
BOALSBURG — Inside a brightly lit training room at The Wyndham, the atmosphere crackled with energy and purpose. Officers in uniform moved through defensive drills all designed to prepare them for one of the most unpredictable jobs in the justice system: adult probation and parole supervision.
This wasn’t a standard class. It was part of a dynamic, hands-on training program offered through the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute (JASI), focused on defensive tactics for adult probation and parole officers across Pennsylvania.
For five days, 23 officers from 12 different counties came together to sharpen their skills, build confidence and leave better equipped to protect themselves and others in their respective communities.
The program, entirely free for participating departments, is helping bridge a vital gap for agencies that lack in-house instructors or the resources to send officers to expensive out-of-county training.
“It’s to keep them safe,” program coordinator Patrick Nuzzo said. “Probation officers are out in the field. They’re going into people’s homes. And sometimes bad things happen, and we want our officers to have at least a basic skill set to be able to protect themselves and to stay safe.”
The JASI training is built around defensive tactics. The focus is on de-escalation, partner protection and last-resort maneuvers that could save an officer’s life. Techniques range from basic handcuffing to physical disengagement strategies and how to remove someone from a situation without escalating conflict.
For the officers in attendance, the value was clear from day one.
The class included both seasoned professionals and fresh recruits. Despite their varied backgrounds, they all had one thing in common: a deep commitment to serving their communities and a recognition that, in their line of work, anything can happen.
“They come from the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Nuzzo said. “We can train them and then when they go back to their counties, they can go back to doing their job without going anywhere else for training or paying money for training.”
What makes the program especially powerful is its accessibility. Any adult probation officer in Pennsylvania can register online through the JASI website. The process is quick, the cost is nothing, and the outcome could mean everything. Departments without the capacity to train their officers internally now have a consistent, high-quality alternative without disrupting operations or straining budgets.
Officers are required by the state to undergo training, but they are not mandated to attend this particular program. That’s part of what makes its popularity so impressive. It’s being chosen by departments that see its value and believe in what it offers.
Beyond the physical training, the program fosters camaraderie among officers from different counties. Stories are swapped, techniques shared and a quiet bond forms among professionals who face similar challenges in different ZIP codes.
“I’m very happy with this particular class,” Nuzzo said. “It was a great week. Everyone learned something. So that’s a good week of training.”
The program also offers a scalable solution to statewide training disparities. While some counties have extensive training programs and instructors in-house, others struggle with limited time, staffing and budgets. JASI helps level that playing field.
“This is a training that is offered to assist the probation departments across the state to help them out,” Nuzzo said, “So if a department that has in-house instructors, but because of timing issues, because of other logistics going on, they may not be able to get their officer trained in a timely fashion. They can send them to us.”
At a time when public safety conversations often focus on law enforcement and corrections, the role of probation and parole officers can sometimes be overlooked. But their work is critical to the justice system, blending support, accountability and enforcement in communities across the Commonwealth.
Penn State’s Justice and Safety Institute is ensuring that those officers are seen, heard and most importantly, prepared.
For more information about JASI, visit jasi.psu.edu.
