Change in state police academy requirements generates burst in applications

Eliminating the requirement that Pennsylvania State Police cadets have college credits under their belts in order to apply for trooper jobs was met with a burst of applications.

State officials said 137 of 297 people who applied in the two days after the announcement last week do not have college credits. It’s exactly what Gov. Josh Shapiro was hoping for when he lifted the requirement.

“Our state police academy trains highly capable public servants who work hard to make our communities safer, but for nearly 30 years, college credit requirements have prevented some of the most capable and committed from being able to serve our commonwealth,” he said.

The agency is staring down a decrease in the number of applicants to its 28-week cadet training program in Hershey combined with a growing number of troopers who will become eligible for retirement over the next few years. The state budget calls for hiring 384 troopers.

State Police Col. Christopher Paris said the rest of the requirements for securing a spot in a cadet class will not change. Those include a qualifying exam, polygraph test, background investigation, physical readiness test and medical and psychological evaluation.

“With this change, I do not expect to see a drop off in the quality or caliber of those who go on to successfully graduate from our training academy and become troopers,” he said. “We demand the highest standards and will continue to do so.”

There are 4,740 sworn members in the Pennsylvania State Police and the hiring process is always ongoing, Lt. Adam Reed said.

“We want this change to open the door to those to whom were not eligible, who have the drive and passion and determination to become Pennsylvania state troopers,” Paris said. “If this allows more of those people access … that’s what we want to be part of.”

In the 1990s there were about 10,000 applications per cadet class, Shapiro said. By 2019, that number dropped to 8,000 per class, and this year it shrank even further, he said. There were 1,800 applications for the latest cadet class that graduated 50 troopers last month.

“It’s important to note that the diminished numbers in these classes are not unique to the Pennsylvania State Police,” Shapiro said. “This is an issue for policing all across Pennsylvania and, indeed, in most parts of this nation.”

In 2019, 402 cadets turned into troopers, about half of which started their training class in 2018, Reed said. In the following three years, about 660 graduated, and 99 have graduated so far in 2023. An additional class is set to graduate in December, Paris said.

The now-lifted requirement meant that applicants had to have at least 60 college credits in any course. By requiring only a high school diploma or the GED equivalent, Pennsylvania comes in line with state police agencies in Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and elsewhere.

“I want to make sure the doors of opportunity are open to more Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said. “The commonwealth’s hiring practices must reflect our reality today, and this change allows us to reflect our reality. We need to empower those who want to serve our communities through the noble profession of policing, and today helps to do just that.”

Cadets undergo more than 1,300 hours of training, and a starting salary of $66,911 can climb as troopers accrue more service and get promoted, Paris said.

Cadets can make a list of their preferences for troop where they will work based on vacancies, but where they end up in the beginning is based on availability, Reed said. They can transfer to a different troop in two years.

After graduation, troopers will serve 12 months of probation and become a full-fledged trooper after an evaluation. They must work three years as a patrol trooper before potentially moving into more than two dozen specialized positions, such as criminal investigation, accident reconstruction, fire investigation or aviation, canine, mounted or motorcycle units.

“There’s an adage that says to find your niche in the state police, work towards that goal and then have a very rewarding career, perhaps as a specialty trooper,” Paris said.

Recruiting division coordinator Capt. Jamal Pratt said he believes the change will help with filling the ranks.

“We welcome those with life and work experience who will come in and give their all,” he said.