“We want them to have
pride in their profes-
sion. We want them to
understand that they
are public servants and
that their goal is to be of
value to the public...We
want them to understand
that law enforcement
professionalism
requires them to follow
the code of ethics
– Rick Gauthier
“They put you in as real-life scenarios as
possible to deal with when you fi nally get out on
the road,” he said.
He also appreciated the ability to network
with recruits from different agencies. He said
the most diffi cult part of the academy was not
having much contact with home, though he
added that the lack of contact probably helped
him focus on his studies.
“Early on, you get one phone call for a few
minutes a night,” he said. “They give you more
later on, but there’s very little contact with
home.”
Delehanty said that he is proud of his
classmates at the academy, and of future classes,
for pursuing a career in law enforcement.
“Nowadays, fewer and fewer people are
getting into this career,” he said. “I give
everyone so much credit for getting into this
fi eld that so many people aren’t pursuing
anymore, or don’t want anything to do with it,
unfortunately.”
Gauthier said that pride in the job is part of
what the academy hopes to instill in recruits.
“We want them to have pride in their
profession. We want them to understand that
they are public servants and that their goal
is to be of value to the public. ... We want
them to understand that law enforcement
professionalism requires them to follow the code
of ethics,” he said. “The overall expectation
is that they would conduct themselves to the
highest standard of the profession regardless of
the scenario they are in.”
Matthew Knisley:
Montpelier school
resource offi cer
By Allan Stein
ONTPELIER — For the past
six years, Matthew Knisley
has been the school resource
offi cer for the Montpelier Police
Department, working to help every
student be their very best.
“When I can’t help, students don’t
succeed,” said Knisley. “I wanted to be
able to make a difference before kids
enter the criminal justice system, to
help them be successful and graduate.”
M
So SRO for the school district,
Knisley wears many hats other than
law enforcement. His role is also as
counselor, protector, and social worker.
He said it’s to “be whoever is
needed to link resources from the
community to help students along the
way.”
“Every day is different, I hope to
interact with a lot of students on a
positive level. I enjoy that 99% of the
interactions are positive, Knisley said.
Photo Provided
Montpelier City Resource Offi cer Matthew Knisley
BARRE-MONTPELIER TIMES ARGUS HOMETOWN HEROES AUGUST 2019 • 5