A class of 48 new police officers graduated from the 72nd Recruit Officer Course (ROC) Plymouth Police Academy.
They’re not only a special group that broke records, they set the bar for charity events.
WATD’s Lenny Rowe files this report.
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After 22 weeks of training, police departments around the state have new officers joining their ranks.
It’s a challenging academy, one that instills discipline and accountability. Physical fitness tests, exams on Constitutional law, motor vehicle law, and criminal law, and training they’ll need as the next wave of officers.
“They were amazing,” said Academy Director, Eileen Goodick. “They bonded as a family. They took care of each other, they watched out for each other. They made each other accountable. They set our standard even higher, good luck to the next class coming in.”
After the ceremony, Plymouth Police Officer Samantha Pelrine said it’s a dream come true.
“Born and raised in Plymouth, policing was something I always wanted to do growing up, and I was finally able to achieve the goal,” said Pelrine. “I just really wanted to do it in the town that I lived in, to be able to give back to the community that I grew up in.”
The class represents 24 departments for towns, cities, and colleges from around the state.
They relied on each other through tough times, and forged bonds for life.
“We did have some hiccups in the beginning, but we were really able to come together as a group, and really depend on each other,” said Pelrine. “If we were missing something, someone would have it for us. For me personally, I wasn’t one of the fastest runners. If I ever fell back, regardless of the speed, whomever they might be, they’d fall back right along and ran the rest of the way with me. That’s just for me, a big speaking point of what the recruits were and the 72nd ROC – the 48 of us really were one. We couldn’t it without our great leadership, our staff instructors, our president, our squad leaders, we were all able to be there for each other.”
Pelrine was part of the community outreach board led by Plympton Police Officer Laicey Ieronimo. Classes are required to host three community events – they organized six.
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- Hundreds of vehicles drove through the car wash, including the entire Marshfield Police fleet . Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
This included 101 care packages for the Plymouth Area Coalition, raising $13,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, participating in the Sgt. Sean Gannon Memorial 5K, raising $2,300 to benefit Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog, raising funds for families in Uvalde, Texas, and hosting a car wash in memory of Marshfield’s Danny Sheehan, raising $5,520 for Cops for Kids with Cancer.
“It all starts with the academy; the staff provides us with the foundation to be able to do that. Now it’s our job to utilize the training that we got to make a difference every day,” said Ieronimo. “Keep in contact with one another, and keep our bonds strong.”
Ieronimo broke the female academy record for the 1.5 mile run with a time of 9:47. She was also surprised with the 100 percent award – the staff honors the person who gave 100 percent every single day. Her family was at Memorial Hall in Plymouth to cheer her on.
“I am beyond grateful for this moment,” said Ieronimo. “It’s a day I’ll never forget.”
Holliston Police Officer David Craig was the President of the class, he says they’re ready to represent the next wave of policing.
“It’s a wild ride. It took a long way to get here, a long 22 weeks, but we made it. We powered through all the tough days, and here we are,” said Craig. “We’re just getting started. Just because we’ve graduated does not mean we’re done doing our best and trying to be our best.”
He says they chose a tiger to symbolize their class – for courage, bravery, and strength.
