165 to be Sworn-In as New MSP Troopers Today After Nearly Six Months of Rigorous Training

One-hundred-and-sixty-five trainees will graduate from their Academy training and be sworn-in as Massachusetts State Police Troopers this morning in a ceremony at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

Governor Healey, Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy, and MSP Colonel John Mawn will preside over the graduation exercises, which begin at 10:30 AM. In addition to a speaking program, the exercises will include the new Troopers taking their oath of office and being pinned with their badges.

The 165 graduates comprise the MSP’s 88thRecruit Training Troop and successfully completed nearly six of months of training at the State Police Academy in New Braintree. The new Troopers will begin their assignments at Massachusetts State Police Barracks across the state. Each new Trooper will be paired with a veteran Field Training Officer for the first three months of their service. All new Troopers and their FTOs will be assigned to road patrols to begin their careers.

A total of 249 Trainees entered the State Police Academy on Feb. 27, 2023. The 165 graduates who will take the oath of office today successfully completed a rigorous training program that included criminal law, police procedures, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operation, emergency first aid, de-escalation and use of force progression, use of firearms and less-than-lethal weapons, ethics, and specialized topics including responding to instances of domestic violence and animal cruelty and communicating with persons with unique considerations. A highlight of the training was a program of dozens of scenarios replicating a wide range of situations and duties the new Troopers will respond to during their careers, including motor vehicle stops, combative suspects, barricaded suspects, unattended deaths, medical emergencies, and drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The 88th RTT graduating class is comprised of 143 males and 22 females. Seventy-five of the new Troopers have some prior service with other law enforcement agencies, and 33 have prior military service. Twenty-five graduates are fluent in a second language, including Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, and Vietnamese.

The MSP will livestream the graduation exercises beginning at 10:30 AM on the Department's Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/MassStatePolice.

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