By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Police has seen a surge in applications after announcing the agency would be dropping the college credit requirement to become a trooper, Trib Live reports.
In August, Gov. Josh Shapiro and state law enforcement leaders announced the 60 college credit requirement for applicants would be dropped in hopes of increasing the pool of applicants who were seeking a career as a state trooper.
State officials said 137 of 297 applicants who applied in early September do not have college credits.
“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,” Shapiro said in a statement.
The other requirements to become a cadent in Pennsylvania, such as age, residency, taking a written exam and screenings before the training academy, will not change.
Once cadets complete the training academy, they are promoted to trooper and receive an increase in salary. As of 2022, the starting salary for troopers is $65,763.