{"id":69423,"date":"2025-12-24T11:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/69423\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T11:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:38:10","slug":"reading-police-academy-celebrates-second-graduating-class-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/69423\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Police Academy celebrates second graduating class of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Reading Police Academy celebrated its second graduating class of 2025, recognizing 35 new law enforcement officers from the city and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n<p>The graduation ceremony Monday at Redner\u2019s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium included the presentation of diplomas, recognition of outstanding achievements and remarks from Mayor Eddie Moran.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 35 graduating cadets, eight are joining the Reading Police Department.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Lt. Melville K. Fegely, assistant training director, welcomes cadets and guests during ceremonies for the Reading Police Academy's second graduating class of 2025 at the Redner's Event Center in FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)\" width=\"3000\" height=\"333\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/REG-L-ReadingPoliceAcademyGraduation1557.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"3036065\" \/>Lt. Melville K. Fegely, assistant training director, welcomes cadets and guests during ceremonies for the Reading Police Academy&#8217;s second graduating class of 2025 at the Redner&#8217;s Event Center in FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n<p>The remaining graduates represent a range of regional agencies, including departments from Kutztown, Pottstown, Shillington, Spring Township and Lancaster city, the mayor said.<\/p>\n<p>Moran congratulated the cadets on completing what he described as a demanding and transformative journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a big day,\u201d he said. \u201cIt marks the end of a long and tough journey for each of you, full of hard work, long hours and challenges that tested your body, mind and heart. And today, you made it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Addressing the Reading cadets individually, Moran praised their commitment to serving the city and its residents, emphasizing the responsibility they will soon carry in neighborhoods throughout Reading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll be out helping people, keeping our streets safe and making a real difference,\u201d he said. \u201cI know you\u2019ll wear that badge with pride and serve with respect and care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moran also acknowledged the graduates from other departments and three preservice cadets who paid their own way through the academy, calling their path a reflection of exceptional dedication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat takes a special kind of commitment,\u201d Moran said. \u201cWhether you\u2019re starting your journey here in Reading or somewhere else, we thank you for stepping up and answering the call to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Drawing on his own background as a former New York City Tunnel Bridge Transit Authority officer, Moran briefly shared a personal reflection on the profession, underscoring both its challenges and its importance to the communities served.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Members of the Reading Police Academy's second graduating class of 2025 await their diplomas at the Redner's Event Center in FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)\" width=\"3000\" height=\"333\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/REG-L-ReadingPoliceAcademyGraduation1556.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"3036066\" \/>Members of the Reading Police Academy&#8217;s second graduating class of 2025 await their diplomas at the Redner&#8217;s Event Center in FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of the city, Moran thanked the graduates for choosing a career in law enforcement and encouraged them to remain focused on service, integrity and safety as they move forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to see the good you will do and the lives you will impact,\u201d he said. \u201cCongratulations again, and welcome to the next chapter of your journey.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Reading Police Academy celebrated its second graduating class of 2025, recognizing 35 new law enforcement officers from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-69423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}