How to Become a Police Officer in Massachusetts? 

A Complete and Most Comprehensive Guide 2022

Being in the police is a great thing! You serve the public and help them in emergencies. The police officers also take care of all the risky matters of the community. So the question arises: How to become a police officer in Massachusetts? Here is a complete guide covering everything you need to know to become an officer in the Massachusetts police department and and complete 2022 guide about mass police academies. So without any delay, let’s get started! 

How to become a police officer in MASS Massachusetts? Everything you need to know! 

Here are the steps that you need to follow for becoming a police officer in Massachusetts:

1. Pass the Written exam
2. Pass the Medical exam and Initial-Hire Physical Ability Test (PAT)
3. Register yourself at the MPTC police academy

Let’s have a look at each one of these in detail!

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The Written Exam

First comes the written exam! This exam is taken to shortlist the candidates for the police officer vacancies in the MBTA Transit Police in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Civil Service Police Departments. Even if you are not a Massachusetts resident, you can apply for the test. However, you must meet the age requirement for selection in the police academy. Your age must be 21 years to be eligible for this test. You can apply for the exam anytime it is offered. However, if you participate twice a year, the most recent test score is counted for eligibility. The details can be found on the exam poster.

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The exam has three parts: 

• Written Ability Test (WAT)

This test evaluates the cognitive abilities of the candidates. It covers verbal expression and comprehension, problem-solving, inductive reasoning, and deductive reasoning. Once you clear this test, you become eligible for WSQ and LES. 

• Work Styles Questionnaire (WSQ)

The questionnaire evaluates the candidate’s motivational and attitudinal attributes and core values. The candidate’s success as a Municipal and Transit Police Officer highly depends on these attributes. 

• Life Experience Survey (LES)

It covers the candidate’s background and past experiences relevant to their performance as a police officer. A series of multiple-choice questions are given to access the candidate’s previous history, which is another significant aspect in selection as a police officer. 

Once you have passed the written exam, your name is included in the list of eligible candidates. The hiring process starts, and the Civil Service Unit sends your name to the police department. Now you are required to complete your documentation, and your background is checked, after which you are either selected for the PAT test or considered disqualified. 

The procedure for the PAT test is given below, so let us have a look at that!

The Medical Exam and the Initial Hire Physical Ability Test

Once you have cleared the written exam and the interview, the medical exam and the PAT test are next. For that, you have to fill the candidate’s medical examination and send pages 1 to 8 to [email protected].

The PAT test includes the obstacle course, the dummy drag, and the separation/control event. Let’s briefly discuss each one of them.

• The Obstacle Course

In this, the candidate pursues everything that is needed to target the suspect. You have to cross through the windows, climb over the walls, and up and down, and move through to cones. In the end, you have to grab a weighted bag and make it touch the ground. Then, you have to move the bag to the handcuffing simulation and pull on the hand levers till the cable hits the stop. All of this must complete within 163.4 seconds. 

• The Dummy Drag

Here you have to drag the suspect/victim. It must complete within 11.2 seconds.

• The Separation Event

In this, you have to control the crowd and separate the individuals. You have to pull the hanging bag towards the back while making it touch the ground. All of this must complete within 12.8 seconds. 

The results of the PAT test are sent via email to the candidates and the Appointing Authority within 24 hours. You have to keep yourself updated regarding the email that comes from “@mass.gov” so that you do not miss the opportunity of joining the Massachusetts police academy. Make sure you keep checking the Spam folder as well so that you can be timely updated regarding the mail.

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Joining the MPTC Full-Time Police Academy

Once you have cleared the Physical Ability Test (PAT) and the medical examination, you are now eligible for the Recruit Officer Course (ROC). This course has three volumes and several subtopics. Its duration is 20 weeks, and it covers the best policies and core principles of the 21st century. The primary emphasis is given on:

• Problem solving and evaluation
• Decision making
• Fair policing
• Procedural justice

To learn more about it, let’s answer some of the fundamental questions!

What are the requirements of the Massachusetts Police Academies?

To join the mass police academy, you must meet the following requirements:

• The minimum age must be 21 years.
• Full-time employee/sponsored by the police department/municipal/environmental department/any other law enforcement department
• You have to pass the PAT test and clear the medical examination.

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Who can join the Mass Police Academies?

To join the Massachusetts policy academy, you must prepare well to meet all the physical requirements. For that, you have to work on your weight control, muscle strength and endurance, aerobic capacity, and flexibility. You can download the MPTC Health and Wellness Fitness Preparation Guide to learn more about it. 

How to Register Yourself for the Massachusetts Police Academies?

For registration, you have to log into theMPTC Acadia Portal and get yourself registered at the MPTC police academy.

Once you have registered yourself, you will receive an automatic email notification to confirm the registration request. The full-time municipal, environmental, and officers from the University of Massachusetts are given priority amongst others. The MPTC Recruit Officer reviews all the requests and enrolls the candidates accordingly. An email notification is then sent to the Department Chief and the candidate for confirmation and other details. Once you receive the email, you can complete the documentation process and join the training as soon as it starts. Also, make sure you pay the fee within 7 days of joining the academy. 

When Do the Police Academies Start?

The mass police academies are scheduled according to the anticipated demand. The departments inform the MPTC regarding the hiring and recruiting officer training needs. You can contact your area’s police training organization if you plan to join an authorized police academy. 

Once the police academy begins, it is scheduled daily from Monday to Friday till the course ends. The duration of the courses varies slightly, but they must cover about 800 hours of training instructions as per the policy. 

How much does it Cost to join the Mass Police Academy?

The charges for the full-time police academy are $3000, and everything like tuition, uniform, etc., is included in it. You have to submit the fees within 7 days after the start of the MPTC police academy course. 

To pay the fee, you are required to submit a form or a bank-certified check for the “Municipal Police Training Committee. After the enrollment, the fee is paid directly to the authorized police academy. 

How Many Police Academies are there in Massachusetts and Which Ones are the Best?

In Massachusetts, there are about 26 police academies. Amongst these, the best ones include:

• Cape Cod Municipal Police Academy

It offers the best training that can lead you to great success in a police career. The training is up-to-date and ensures that the students learn how to show competency and efficiency in critical situations. 

• Quinsigamond Community College

This is one of the famous police academies located in Worcester. It has enrolled around 13000 students in the Associate degree and certification programs. 

• Cambridge Police Academy

The MPTC certified Cambridge Police Academy is another famous police academy. Here the emphasis is given to the four pillars of procedural justice. These include transparency, fairness, voice, and impartiality. The training is based on experiential learning, and different scenario-based activities are used to train the officer students. 

• Fitchburg State Academy

The Fitchburg State Academy training is around three weeks shorter than the other academies, and you can finish the last 24 credits on your own. Also, all the master’s courses are available on the internet so that you can join them online as well. 

• State Police Municipal Academy 

The State police academy is located in rural New Braintree and covers an area of about 780 acres. The students are given 25-week live-in academy training with over 90 courses. Apart from this, the academy also offers several training seminars, in-service training, and the student trooper program. 

• Lowell Police Academy

It runs a summer leadership program that has about 3 weeks. The academy teaches the students some of the core values and valuable skills, e.g., first aid and CPR. 

• Citizens Police Academy

It offers a training course of a duration of about 11 weeks. This is taught twice. One is the spring session, and the other in the fall session. The classes cover some of the major topics like laws against crimes, use of force by the cops, forensic science, safety issues, etc. 

• Northern Essex Community College

The college has over 6000 students enrolled in different courses. It primarily serves the residents of Southern New Hampshire and Merrimack Valley.

Other famous police academies include:

• Plymouth Police Academy
• Randolph Police Academy
• Boylston Police Academy
• Reading Police Academy
• WMass Police Academy
• Boston PD Police Academy

You can join any police training academy if you fulfill the eligibility criteria. 

What are the Topics Taught in the Police Academies?

Now coming towards the topics! The hands-on and classroom training is given to the students in the mass police academies. The primary focus is on the following topics:

• Constitutional laws against crimes
• Firearms instructions
• First-aid treatment
• The technique of investigation and interrogation
• Directing and managing traffic
• Investigation
• Bargain with the hostage
• Self-protection
• Procedures for patrolling
• Ethics

How much does a Police Officer Make in Massachusetts?

The officers are paid their starting wage even during the training. Once you have successfully completed the course, it is very likely that the pay will be increased. The increase depends entirely on where you are working and how much you received while you were on your training, and can be as much as $2000-3000. 

What are the Benefits of Joining the Massachusetts Police Force?

A police officer has a lot of responsibilities. He has to maintain, comprehend, and implement the state laws. With that, there are numerous benefits. You get a good salary along with all the incentives. Also, you gain all due respect from the community. 

What are the Dates of Joining the Mass Police Academies in the Year 2022?

If you are planning to join the mass police academy for the year 2022, please note the following dates:

Conclusion

Moreover, that is all about it! We hope that the article helped you learn everything you need to know before you join the Mass Police Academy as an officer. Just make sure to keep yourself updated regarding the dates and follow the procedure on time so that you do not miss the chance to join the Massachusetts Police Academy and come out as a qualified police officer. Good luck!