By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Wayne County Regional Police Training Academy (WCRPTA) graduate Joseph Hassler woke up the day after his graduation still feeling like he was in a dream.

Hassler, 31, received the Richard Weiler Scholarship Award, graduating with a 3.8 GPA from the academy. He was selected for the $500 award from among four pre-service cadets in a graduating class of 50 from WCRPTA on May 16, 2024.

The Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award, sponsored by the POLC, is awarded twice yearly at the discretion of the college police academy to graduates who have not been sponsored by any police agency. Qualifying cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers. 

“For all pre-service students we use all the Director Written Tests scores (10 of them), the legal test score, their primary written test scores from EVO, Firearms, and Defensive Tactics,” said WCRPTA Director Fred Stanton. “Then the primary instructors code the pre-service students on how well the recruit performed the primary skills. The pre-service student with the highest score wins the Weiler Award.”

Photos courtesy of WCRPTA WCRPTA graduate Joseph Hassler was honored with the Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award at graduation.

Hassler served as Class Captain twice, earning the academy’s Leadership Award. “It’s a class vote on who the leader will be for the class,” Stanton said. “He will get an award and he will give a small speech at the graduation.”

“I was selected on Day Zero by the cadres (as class leader) and I was voted back in by my peers, which is awesome, for the last month and that made me Class Captain and Class President,” Hassler said. 

He also received the Chief’s Outstanding Award, from the WCRPTA coordinators and Academy Director. The determination is made by comparing the pre-service cadets, rating them in leadership, demeanor and their history before coming to the academy.

“It means everything to me to receive all the awards I got that night. I really appreciated all the recognition — for being made Class Captain and Class President,” he said. “It’s been my greatest accomplishment! All the awards and recognition I received yesterday were just an absolute honor. I told my fiancé last night, ‘It’s all kind of been a dream for me.’ When I went into the academy five months ago, I didn’t expect this outcome.” 

Hassler served in the U.S. Army for 2-1/2 years and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Filmmaking from The Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood, CA. “I got into filmmaking initially and when COVID hit I was at the end of my studies. Things politically got a little out of hand in the film industry and society in general,” Hassler said. “I made the decision to step away from it because it would’ve been too much of an uphill battle. The film industry is very political and it’s really difficult to get in especially if during that time you didn’t fall in line with what everyone felt. If I don’t believe in something, I have a strong moral compass.”

“Everything happened for a reason, so I just stepped away. I served in the Army active duty and I deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 to 2014 and I fell in love with the comradery with the people I served with and I really liked the structure as well. So it was honestly very easy for me to transition over to policing.”

He credits the Army for helping him become an academy leader. “It goes back to my comradery with the military,” Hassler said. “I just love the recruits and I showed them that every single day. When I was made their Captain the first time, I went to work for them every day. I cared for them and I think they all realized that and I would like to think that’s why they voted me back in.” 

Hassler is the process of applying to law enforcement agencies in Oakland and Macomb counties.