Penn Police expands force by 11 officers Nine of the 11 new recruits -- hired from a field of about 150 applicants -- are experienced police officers and will begin a required nine-week training program to teach them "how to be Penn Police officers," Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said. The two others are Public Safety employees who will enter the Philadelphia Police Academy next month before returning to Penn in November. The nine-week training period includes three weeks of general police training that takes place mostly in a classroom. Following that, Vice President of Public Safety Thomas Seamon will swear the officers in. Then they'll get some on-the-job training, spending two weeks on each of the three shifts accompanied by a training officer who will evaluate them. All the officers spend a year on "probation," meaning University Police administrators can decide to dismiss them if they decide the officer is not working out for any reason, Rush said. The round of hirings marks the first major personnel expansion of the Penn Police since March 1997, when 19 new officers were hired. -- Ben Geldon
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