When pondering career options after four years of service in the Navy, Bruce Marchetti was torn between becoming a teacher or a policeman. As he gets ready to retire this week from the Whitehall police department after 30 years of service, he acknowledges he has had the best of both worlds.

"I am one of the few and fortunate who have been able to do the two things I have wanted to do with my life," Mr. Marchetti said.

He received his police training at the State Police Academy in North Park and received a bachelor's degree in psychology from California University of Pennsylvania. He has taught various law enforcement evening classes at the Community College of Allegheny County. Since 2005, he has owned and operated his own driving school.

Mr. Marchetti, 56, who resides in South Park Township, has been involved with the police department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program since its start in the fall of 1993 and has been responsible for the success of the educational endeavor designed to provide a positive impact on the development of the children in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District.

The program now involves grades three through 12, but focuses primarily on the fifth, sixth and seventh grades.

School district officials last month passed a resolution recognizing Mr. Marchetti for his involvement in the program and his commitment to the community's children.

Using an innovative and interactive approach puts fun in the learning experience, he said. "You want to get the best and most truthful information to the children. Scare tactics don't work and you want to avoid lecturing."

When preparing his early classroom presentations, he would often bounce his ideas off his young children, Brian, now 27, and Bethany, now 22. He said his wife, Lauren, to whom he has been married for 32 years, also provided direction.

Mr. Marchetti was named D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year in 2000. He was involved in other youth initiatives like the D.A.R.E. Hockey Team and a bike safety program.

He is particularly proud of his involvement in the Teen Center at Harrison Middle School, which began nine years ago as a way to provide positive social and recreational activities for middle school students. The monthly program attracts an average of 800 students.

"He has a work ethic, a desire to help people and high professionalism that every police chief dreams about having in a department member," police Chief Don Dolfi said of the retiring officer.

Although he was the principal officer of the D.A.R.E. program, he balanced his duties as a patrol officer and handled various supervisory positions.

Entering his fifth year as head of the 20-member department, Chief Dolfi, who has known Mr. Marchetti since he was hired in 1979, said, "his loyalty and friendship make him a very special person. His retirement leaves us with some big shoes to fill."

Commenting simply that it's time for him to retire from police work, Mr. Marchetti acknowledged it will be hard to say goodbye to his colleagues and to the community.

Mr. Marchetti intends to take classes at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for advanced accreditation in his driver education business.