Daniel & Olivia Keene

Serve & Protect | Married Troopers Reflect on Lessons at LBC as They Serve Their Communities

The past two years have brought many changes for Daniel (’22) and Olivia (Gard ’21) Keene. There were two LBC graduations, two police academy graduations, a wedding and a new house—just to name a handful.

The newlyweds met while studying Criminal Justice at Lancaster Bible College. Daniel always knew he wanted to be a Pennsylvania State Trooper. It had been a dream of his since he was young.

For Olivia, however, that dream wasn’t recognized until she was 19. After graduating from high school and unsure of the route she wanted to take, she participated in a gap year program, spending a year in Costa Rica before making the decision to pursue her degree at LBC.

Olivia began the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) application process in January 2020 ahead of her May 2021 LBC graduation, but due to COVID-19, the typically yearlong process took two years. The six-step journey involves the application, written exam, oral exam, polygraph test, background investigation and physical and psychological exams. Following that is the PSP Academy, which is a grueling 26-week program that requires cadets to live on-site full time.

Daniel graduated from LBC in May 2022 and went through the same process to join the PSP. Olivia has been on the job since August 2022, with Daniel joining the force in January 2023.

“Wedding planning was interesting,” Olivia commented. The two got engaged in September 2022, and much of the wedding planning was done while Daniel was still at the Academy with limited phone time.

“One visitation she came with a big binder of all the wedding stuff,” Daniel recalled.

With 13 troops across the state, cadets make their troop picks four to six weeks before graduation. Once assigned to a station and officially graduated, officer field training begins before a trooper is officially sent out on their own. Likewise, each station across the state has three separate platoons, which cover three daily shifts. While Olivia works in York, Daniel is based at the Gettysburg station, and the two started off on separate platoons.

“We were pretty much polar opposites for scheduling,” Daniel explained. “I’d be working a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and she’d be working a 3 to 11 p.m. The only times we could really see each other were maybe one day when we were working the same shift, and then on our days off, we’d see each other in the morning or the evening.” This September, however, Daniel’s sergeant helped him make a platoon switch, so their schedules now align.

As Criminal Justice majors, both Daniel and Olivia felt prepared as they set out to begin the process of becoming Pennsylvania State Troopers and have experienced moments that directly tie back to lessons they learned while at LBC.

“Case law that we’ve learned in the program comes to mind when I’m doing regular traffic stops,” Daniel said. “On the legal side of policing, I feel I have a little bit of an advantage.”

Olivia recalled a law enforcement class the pair took with Professor Joseph Mina. “We did mock traffic stops and scenarios of building clearing,” she said. “I thought that was super helpful.”

In a time where tensions can run high between the police and the public, the Keenes recognize the importance of Christians having roles in law enforcement, especially when they ask themselves, “Why do we even do this?”

“We have a different worldview of who we’re really working for and who we’re aspiring for,” said Daniel. “I think that helps to deflect the view that people have of us and the view we have on people, since we have that biblical worldview. It also leads us to how we interact with people on a day-to-day basis.”

Ultimately, when Daniel and Olivia put on their uniforms and head out on patrol, they know they are doing God’s work.

“If I can help [people] better their situation through the issue that’s going on,” Daniel said, “that’s always been a big thing for me.”

Olivia agreed, saying, “Usually when people meet us, they’re having the worst day ever. I already know if you’re talking to me, you’re not having a good day. It’s all about trying to work with people and meet them where they are.”