RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) --The Pennington County Sheriff's Office welcomed in eight new correctional officers this week, as well as several other new members to the team. Over several weeks, officers in this program learn and train for any and all types of situations. "We want to make sure that they're prepared for those challenges," Pennington County Jail Operations Manager Wade Anderson said. "So we've got a stellar training department, they put them through some pretty rigorous training to get them prepared for the cell block. Then they'll go into field training where they'll actually see how it's done." New correctional officer Timothy Parsons wants to make a positive impact right away. Harvest help for neighbor involved in semi crash "Especially with the stigma towards police officers and corrections, you know, interactions can be negative," Parsons said. "I kind of want to be that positive difference and hopefully, maybe be able to steer somebody away from what they're doing." Corrections are often looked at in the departments as the link between public safety. "It impacts all of the other areas," Anderson said. "Whether it's law enforcement or the courts, probation or parole, we're kind of the piece in the middle. So having a well-rounded team and having a diverse team and having those new people come in, it's very important for us." "I'm super excited to be finishing and excited to start my new career and really looking forward to getting out there and doing what I can to make a difference," Parsons said. This program is 10 weeks long and offers both classroom work and fieldwork to make sure these new correctional officers are ready.