Ten female cadets – the most to have graduated at one time from Delaware County Community College’s Municipal Police Academy – were among 67 students lauded at the college’s Municipal Police Academy graduation ceremony recently held at Ridley High School.

Dr. L. Joy Gates Black, a U.S. veteran and the first female president of the college, noted the momentous occasion.

“Among you this evening are 10 women who have mastered the academics, physical conditioning, driving skills, and firearms accuracy required to receive state municipal police officer certification,” she said. “As a woman who served in the U.S. Air Force at a time when there were not as many opportunities for women, and as the first female president of Delaware County Community College, I appreciate and applaud this accomplishment.”

A recognized leader in training law enforcement officers through rigorous academic courses and physical training programs, the Municipal Police Academy trains 95 percent of the police officers in Delaware County and 75 percent of the police officers in Chester County.

Among its graduates are police chiefs, supervisors, and other law-enforcement personnel, such as Aldan Police Chief and Police Academy Instructor Kenneth Coppola, Trainer Police Chief Francis Priscopo, and Scott McAllister, deputy under-secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Also among the Police Academy’s alumni is Jesse Harnett, a former Philadelphia police officer who, despite having been seriously wounded in an ambush in Philadelphia, gave chase and helped apprehend the assailant. Last year, in recognition of his bravery, Hartnett received the “Man of the Year” award from the National Police Defense Foundation in New York.