As a history and political science major at Bridgewater College, Alexander Kettering ’06 studied important events and political movements in the history of the United States. Little did he know that someday he would receive recognition from the U.S. Congress for his role in a history-making event in the nation’s capital.
On April 24, Kettering and his colleagues with the Montgomery County Police Special Events Response Team received Congressional Gold Medals for their response to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor awarded in the United States, and Kettering described receiving it as a shining moment of his career.
Kettering still vividly remembered the details of January 6. He drove his team to the Capitol past blockades and arrived in the middle of “pure pandemonium.” Injured officers were carried away, while others radioed for help while masses of people attempted to smash through doors and windows. The chaos continued for hours until dusk, when it started to die down and the National Guard and law enforcement officers made a secure circle around the Capitol.
Kettering described seeing a “path of destruction” left in the wake of the attempted invasion. “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. He is proud of his team and the way they responded.
“I would like to think that our mission isn’t political,” he said. “I don’t want people saying that they support us or they’re against us. We do the job.” He continued, “There’s more to every story and every account.”
Kettering grew up near Lancaster, Pa., as the son of a pastor in the Church of the Brethren. He originally thought he might become a history teacher, but changed course after spending time with retired College Police Chief Nick Picerno, who hosted him for dinner and talked to him about his career goals and interests.
Shortly after graduating from Bridgewater, he started his six months of police academy training for Montgomery County, where he has worked for the entirety of his 17-year career thus far. Kettering now teaches other officer trainees at the police academy and believes in the centrality and importance of officer mental health and wellness. He encourages fellow officers to find healthy ways to cope with the significant stresses of the job.
Kettering brings this perspective on mental health to all of his work. He says that he sees his role in responding to an emergency call as being a beacon of hope for someone else in distress. When he responds to calls relating to mental health crises, he sees it as an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, to “talk them off the ledge.”
He also makes time to step away from being immersed in the daily stress of the job. “It’s exhausting to be vigilant all the time,” he observed. He loves being in the outdoors, spending time kayaking, biking and hiking, as well as hands-on activities such as woodworking.
When asked what he would tell someone considering a career in law enforcement, Kettering said, “Be prepared for the mental and physical challenges of the job, and be sure to make all aspects of wellness a priority – physical, emotional, intellectual and psychological.”
– Olivia Shifflett
