East Hempfield Township Police Sergeant Richard Gauck knew he wanted to be a police officer from a young age after having multiple family members in the profession and always being fascinated with seeing police officers in the media.

“Everybody says the typical ‘I want to help people,’ which is obviously true,” Gauck said. “But for me, growing up and seeing cops as the heroes in movies and TV shows and cops that I knew were the reason I wanted to become one. It's an exciting career. I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. I don't know what else I would do. I'm sure I could have done something else. I've always been interested in the electrical field, but this is where I truly belong. I would do this job for free.”

Gauck was destined to be a police officer, but even after he accomplished that title, a tragic event he experienced while off duty further solidified his career decision.

“October 1, 2017, I was in the crowd at the Las Vegas mass shooting,” Gauck said. “It was the worst day of my life. I was in the front row of the concert when it started happening. I unfortunately saw it all happen. I saw the Las Vegas Metro PD show up and run into chaos, where everybody was trying to get out. That just made me appreciate what I'm doing even more. I have more respect than I even had beforehand. I was in the shoes of a victim where I'm usually the police officer, and seeing them showing up, I've never had more respect for the profession and what we do than I did in that moment. That just reinforced what I’m doing and why I’m here.”

Gauck grew up in Chester County and attended Octorara High school, where he attended a technical school part-time to study security and police sciences.

“We learned everything from the technological aspect of security to physical security to the Constitution, law enforcement, the criminal justice system,” he said. “We kind of dipped our toes in the water. It was a lot of people wanting to either go into law enforcement or some sort of security field afterwards.”

Gauck then went to Delaware County Community College and obtained an associate degree in administrative justice. His first policing position was with the Reading Police Department after he graduated from the police academy program through Alvernia University. Gauck worked as a patrol officer in Reading for three years.

“The police academy gives you a broad overview of everything that you're getting yourself into,” Gauck said. “And then you dive into the field training program, which is super intense, and that's when you really find out whether or not you're cut out for this job or whether it's right for you.”

Gauck learned the ins-and-outs of policing in Reading and decided to search for a different department to further develop his career. He was hired by East Hempfield Township, where he’s been for eight years.

He started as a patrol officer with East Hempfield Township and eventually found a niche working in narcotics with the Lancaster County Drug Task Force, a path he was interested in due to hearing stories from an uncle that worked as an officer in New York and with the DEA.

“I feel that drug addiction and drug sales have a lot to do with and are related to most of the crimes that we end up dealing with as a police department and society,” he said. “I really felt like I was making a difference.”

Gauck then took the promotional exam through the department and became a sergeant roughly a year and a half ago. He now supervises five officers and gets to teach the lessons he’s learned throughout his career.

“I get to teach the things that I've learned over the past 10 years and help them learn, continue to be safe on the street,” Gauck said. “I've come to enjoy that part of it as well.”

Gauck is a self-described typical 32-year-old who enjoys watching football, spending time with his dog Chloe, going to the gym when he can, hanging out with friends and family, and still – believe it or not – going to concerts. He believes most police officers are just like any other person and common misconceptions don’t portray them that way at times.

“A lot of people think police officers are jerks,” he said. “I really think that in any career field, you have your jerks. We've all had those jobs. We’re just normal people like everyone else. We have the same issues as any other job. A lot of the times when people are calling us, they're having the worst day of their life. We are constantly reliving and being a part of everyone's worst part of their life, every single day. We have to move on and go to the next call and be professional.”

Gauck has seen things he said will stick with him for the rest of his life working in patrol and in narcotics – not to mention experiencing the traumatic Las Vegas shooting – but he has methods to effectively manage the stress, emotions, and mental-health obstacles that come with law enforcement.

“There are things you're not supposed to see, and we see them over and over again,” Gauck said. “I think that you have to keep up with things outside of work: hobbies, exercise, having people to talk to. I've been to therapy several times. I think it's great. I think it's something that most law enforcement officers should go to occasionally, just to talk it out.”

Gauck said he sees a difference in recent years of officers being more open about traumatic experiences, which signals a shift from mentalities in the past about internalizing or bottling up those experiences.

“Especially in my position as supervisor, and even my supervisors, a lot of the trainings that we're going to are focused on making sure our guys are okay and ready to go to the next call,” he said.

Gauck enjoys being a part of law enforcement because he feels he is a part of something bigger than himself. He feels serving Lancaster County, and more specifically East Hempfield Township, is an honor and a privilege and would recommend the profession and area to anyone.

“We need people that want to come in and that want to do the job for the right reasons, the right way and to the best of their ability,” Gauck said. “It's a very rewarding job. We need problem solvers out there. And obviously, we need young people to keep wanting to do the job because that's how we keep going. Eventually I'm going to be one of the old guys, so I need people to train. Sign on up.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.