Frequently Asked Questions About Police Academies

Full-time recruit officer courses (ROC) are only scheduled to meet anticipated demand. As a result, the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) encourages departments to keep the MPTC informed regarding future hiring plans and recruit officer training needs. If you have questions regarding an MPTC police academy please contact Pat Caggiano at (781) 437-0306 or via email. Please contact your area's full-time police training organization to express interest in attending an authorized police academy.

Full-time police academy tuition is $3,200.00 per student officer. Tuition is due no later than 7 days prior to the start date of the police academy.

• Payment is made in the form of a department or bank certified check made payable to "Municipal Police Training Committee".
• When enrolled in an authorized full-time police academy, payments are made directly to the authorized police academy. Consult with the authorized full-time police academy for the cost of tuition.

No. Tuition does not include the equipment and gear required to attend a full-time police academy. The MPTC maintains a Standard Equipment List required by all student officers attending MPTC or MPTC-authorized police academies.

Full-time Police Academies

Yes. In an effort to prevent injuries, there is a physical training requirement to attend a full-time police academy. The MPTC is committed to optimizing the opportunity for all student officers to be successful in completing the Health and Wellness program. In order to meet these goals, student officers must know what to expect ahead of time and must prepare well in advance of the first day of the academy. The most significant factors in this preparation are:

• weight control
• aerobic capacity
• muscular strength
• endurance
• flexibility

Download the MPTC's Health & Wellness Preparation Guide to assist you in preparing for the academy.

The MPTC does not maintain a list of chiefs who are willing to sponsor students; however, the sponsoring chief does not need to be the chief of police from the municipality in which you reside.

Any law enforcement agency that is subject to Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) certification requirements may enroll appointed and/or sponsored candidates to attend a full-time police academy. Candidates must meet minimum enrollment requirements set forth at 550 CMR 3.06(1).

• Full-time law enforcement officers; medical deferments, and part-time police officers hired by municipal police departments that do not employ any full-time police officers.
• Sponsored candidates. Only after all employed officers on the waiting list are admitted can we secure seats for sponsored candidates.

Seating is based on a first come first served basis, after a completed application has been submitted. All applicants must pass the MPTC Pre-Entrance Assessment at dates and times to be determined. Waitlisted applicants will be used to back fill potential openings.

Yes; however, it is strongly discouraged. The recruit training program is designed to be a rigorous program with challenging physical and academic requirements. The physical demands involve not only fitness training, but also skills training, such as defensive tactics, firearms, and emergency vehicle operation, all of which require a high degree of stamina and concentration. The recruit training program also requires a great deal of non-academy time for homework, study, and preparation for the next training day. Similarly, please note that the goal of the academy is to prepare you for performance on the street and your career as a police officer. Retention of the knowledge and skills obtained in the academy is critical to success on the street. Insufficient rest and inadequate time to study and prepare will severely and negatively impact retention and application. As a result, due to concerns about your attentiveness and safety during the training and due to our desire that you successfully complete the training and have success as an officer, we strongly discourage working during the academy training.

One of the following courses of action must be taken prior to the firearms segment of the Basic Curriculum:

• The Student Officer must have a Class A License to Carry
• A person with a Class A License to Carry must transport the firearms to and from the range
• The department must make arrangements for the transportation of their firearms to and from the range and place in the safekeeping of an instructor

A cruiser is required to attend a full-time police academy for one-week of defensive driving. If your sponsoring department will not provide one for you, you are required to have made arrangements previous to submitting your application. The MPTC does not make recommendations.

30 days prior to an MPTC operated academy start date, the MPTC will notify departments and candidates of the status of their application.  However, academy registrations may close sooner if sufficient completed application packets are received to fill the class with full-time officers. Reserve and/or sponsored applications are not reflected in this number. Sponsored applications are only filled on the deadline date if there is room. Priority is given to all full-time applications.

When the police department and the applicant receive an official letter of acceptance from the Municipal Police Training Committee Headquarters, the applicant is formally accepted as a student officer and can give notice to their present employer.

No. Police academies operate during the daytime, Monday through Friday. Student officers go home at the end of each day.

The Municipal Police Training Committee sets the standards for basic police training for candidates hired by individual police departments throughout the Commonwealth. Those police departments submit applications for their employee (or sponsored candidate) to our authorized recruit academies. Hiring practices vary by departments; and certain departments, operating by Civil Service, must follow a selection process set forth by statute, while those departments not covered by civil service are free to design their own testing and selection process.

We suggest that you contact Civil Service or your local police department to discuss the hiring process within that community.