Press Release  State Officials Tour the Massachusetts State Police Academy

New Braintree — Today, state officials from the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature visited the Massachusetts State Police Academy to learn more about the Department’s modernized training curriculum, implementation of key police reforms, and strategies to increase recruitment of qualified diverse candidates. Convened by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), participants toured the site and met with members of the 88th Recruit Training Troop (RTT) as well as the inaugural State Police Cadet Class, uniformed civilian employees working full-time in a variety of assignments throughout the Department.

Recruiting and training initiatives for the next generation of diverse public safety leaders depend on funding proposed in the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget. The Administration’s H.1 budget proposal invests over $12 million, including  $10.3 million for the next RTT and $2 million for the 2nd Cadet Class, which is currently accepting applications.

“Our Administration remains committed to recruiting public safety professionals who exemplify the Department’s values of integrity, professionalism, and service,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The FY24 budget proposal provides for a new Recruit Training Troop of 175 members and the continuation of the statewide cadet program, a key element of the policing reform law.”

“Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns depend on their partnership with the State Police, who safeguard our roadways and provide municipalities with specialized police services,” said Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll. “The recruiting and training initiatives in our budget ensure that the next generation of troopers continues to build upon those vital partnerships that make our neighborhoods safer.”   

“Effective public safety relies on the Department’s ability to develop and maintain a qualified and diverse workforce of highly trained police officers capable of meeting the evolving demands of modern-day policing, ” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “The FY24 budget reflects the administration’s commitment to equipping the MSP with the resources and training needed to keep our communities safe.”

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration’s first budget prioritizes public safety and ensures the MSP’s ability to provide the Commonwealth and its communities with the highest level of policing services from a well-staffed and highly trained Department,” said Interim Colonel John Mawn, Jr. “The MSP remains committed to shaping our future through robust recruitment practices and delivering world-class training that aligns with national best practices, public expectations, and legislative mandates.”

“I am thrilled to see the next generation of leaders in the Massachusetts State Police Department, as they are coming up through this program,” said Co-chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, Representative Carlos González. “I commend Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary Reidy, and the whole EOPSS team for their commitment to increasing diversity among the Massachusetts State Police by creating a pipeline of candidates with this cadet program.”

During the tour, state officials met with the 88^th RTT’s 172 recruits in their 5th week of an intense 23-week training program. Over the last three years, the Department has welcomed 601 new troopers who have completed comprehensive and modernized training as part of the 85th, 86th, and 87th RTTs. Over 10% of the 87th RTT is bi-lingual; members speak more than 10 languages.

Funded $10.3 million by the H.1 budget, the 89^th RTT process is underway and anticipated for later this year. The Healey-Driscoll administration intends to build on the last three years of progress, in which 23% – compared to 10% during the previous 11 years – of Recruit Training Troop members came from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

As part of the administration’s commitment to advance the Department’s diversity recruitment strategy, the H.1 budget recommends $2 million in funding to continue the Department’s Cadet Program, which offers aspiring public safety professionals experience in a major law enforcement agency and, upon completing the program and passing the civil service exam, an alternative path to appointment to an MSP Recruit Training Troop.

The MSP Cadet Program, which began in November 2022, is a comprehensive on-the-job training initiative to introduce the candidates to the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a career in law enforcement. The inaugural class of 47 cadets, comprised of 53% people of color and 27% women, completed a month-long academic and physical training, and now work in a rotation of assignments at barracks across the state. Their tenure as Cadets will last between one and two years, depending on the timing of the next State Police RTT for Trooper candidates.

In other public safety enhancements, the H.1 budget also recommends funding that annualizes the MSP body-worn camera program rolled out in Fiscal Year 2022. Through this initiative, each sworn Trooper is assigned a body-worn camera, a tool intended to promote transparency in interactions between Troopers and the public and to document interactions and evidence.

To learn more about becoming a State Trooper, click here.

For more information about the Cadet Program and application process, click here.

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