The Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association has reached one of its goals with Act 114.
Formerly known as House Bill 1772, the act was signed on July 9 and provides training, waiver training and continuing education for sheriffs and deputy sheriffs throughout the commonwealth.
"It's a good act," Schuylkill County Sheriff Joseph G. Groody said Thursday. "It should have been passed years ago."
A former chief deputy, Groody already has the certification. He also has 31 years of experience as a police officer and has served as county sheriff since 2008.
The training comes at no cost to taxpayers as it is funded through fees collected by the sheriff's office on legal documents they serve. The Local Government Commission worked on the original proposal with the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
"There was a time in Pennsylvania when many of the individuals elected to the Office of Sheriff had no law enforcement background, but that simply isn't the case anymore," Bob Wollyung, executive director of the association, said in a press release. "Now, all but a handful of sheriffs are either former deputies or police officers, former chiefs of police or former members of the state police. This legislation recognizes those changes."
The new law now requires all sheriffs to have the education, training and certification and to meet continuing education requirements. The Deputy Sheriffs' Education and Training Board under the PCCD also has the authority to reduce the required hours of education and training for initial certification based on equivalent programs.
Any sheriff who does not obtain certification will not be ineligible to be on the ballot for re-election. The board can also revoke a deputy sheriff's certification under certain circumstances.