Latest news with #LawEnforcementOfficeroftheYear
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Central Pennsylvania schools, student earn awards for civic engagement
CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Over 30 high schools and over 400 students across Pennsylvania have earned a Governor's Civic Engagement Award, including a student from Centre County. Awards are granted to schools for their student-led efforts to register their eligible peers to vote during the 2024-25 school year. In total, over 500 students in 16 counties helped to register around 5,000 of their voting-eligible peers. Centre County honors nominees for 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Centre County's State College Area School District's Delta Program received a gold level award, and Bailey G., a student in the program, was also awarded. Jefferson County's Brookville Jr./Sr. High School also received a gold- level award. 'Students at these winning schools worked hard to register their eligible classmates to vote and hopefully launch them on a lifelong habit of voting,' Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. 'The future health of our representative democracy depends on engaging the next generation of voters, and students who participate in the GCEA program help make that happen.' This year, 476 students were honored for serving at precincts in their communities on Election Day 2024. Those students came from schools in Philadelphia, Armstrong, Centre, Erie, Lehigh, and Washington counties. You can learn more about the Governor's Civic Engagement Awards and see the full list of schools and students who were honored here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Centre County honors nominees for 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (WTAJ) — From saving lives to solving cold cases, six local officers are being recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty in Centre County. The Centre County District Attorney Office has announced its nominees for the 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award. The annual honor highlights officers who have made significant contributions to public safety through professionalism, compassion and proactive service. Among the nominees is Lt. Charles Hamilton of the State College Police Department, whose leadership of the Criminal Investigations Unit included overseeing more than 79 cases and mentoring colleagues on complex investigations involving death, sexual assault and mental health crises. He also guided the department's Social Worker Program, which continued to grow under his direction in 2024. Officer Lisa Larkin, formerly with Penn State Police and now with Bellefonte Police, was nominated for her skillful handling of domestic and DUI cases. Her investigations led to a conviction of a repeat DUI offender and resolution of a domestic case without requiring the victim to testify in court. Also nominated is Trooper Tyler Prisk of the Pennsylvania State Police, who defused a barricade situation involving a suspect threatening violence. Prisk is also among the top DUI enforcers at the Rockview barracks and frequently appears in court to support prosecution efforts. Detective Nicholas Sproveri of Penn State University Police was recognized for his work in high-profile investigations, including the arrest of a fentanyl dealer in a student overdose case and a 21-year-old rape cold case solved through DNA and genealogical evidence. Patton Township Police Officer Elijah Vardzel was nominated for lifesaving actions in two medical emergencies, his work in organizing a human trafficking sting, and his commitment to following through on complex cases often assigned to detectives. The nominees represent the diverse and critical roles law enforcement plays across Centre County, from frontline response to behind-the-scenes investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
