PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More people are applying to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) since it lifted a requirement for college credits last month, officials said.
Lt. Adam Reed said in the one month since the law enforcement agency announced it was no longer requiring 60 hours of college credits, they have already received more than 1,200 applications.
“Our last hiring cycle, which was open for six months, only saw just a shade over 1,700 individuals applied to be troopers,” he said. “So that’s a pretty sizable jump in one month, and we’re very pleased to see that.”
He said 524 of those applications are from people who don’t have college credits.
Reed said all other requirements remain in place, including an extensive background check, psychological screening, a written test, and 28 weeks of training. They must also have a high school diploma or GED certificate.
The college credit requirement was put in place in the 1990s, and the number of applicants has dropped significantly over the years. In the ’90s, they would get about 10,000 applications per class. That dropped to about 8,000 in 2019, then 1,700 for the most recent class.
The Shapiro administration has pushed state agencies to emphasize work experience in hiring in an effort to expand opportunities and combat workforce shortages.
Reed said lifting the college credit requirement doesn’t lessen their standards. Instead, it removes what they determined was an unnecessary barrier.
“No matter if you have incoming college credits or you simply have a high school education, you still have to go through your very rigorous background investigation, physical fitness testing, med-psych testing, in addition to our written testing,” he said.
“What does change is, it really breaks down that barrier for a lot of folks who previously would not have been eligible to apply. Once you apply, everyone really is part of that same pool of applicants.”