Massachusetts has not been hit as hard as some other states in terms of budget shortfalls, but it’s getting there. The latest agency to announce they are making severe cutbacks is the Massachusetts State Police, who say the current fiscal crisis is forcing them to close several regional training academies and reduce the amount of training they offer to officers and recruits.

With the exception of Boston, the Mass. State Police provide most of the training for recruits and in-service training for officers already on the job. Wayne Sampson, the executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said closing the training academies will create a crisis for Massachusetts law enforcement.

“Without any question there is a crisis in police training throughout the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” he said. “And the budget cuts recommended so far are only the beginning.”Natick Police Chief Dennis Mannix said his town will now have to spend a lot more money just on gas sending the officers to other academies, and that there will be a longer wait to get new hires and officers the training they need. “You’re not going to be able to train the people,” said Mannix.

“Firearms training, domestic assault training, sexual assault training will probably be gone. These are specialized training areas, but the ones we need the most.” The closings were announced as Governor Deval Patrick, who campaigned on a promise to put 1000 new cops out on the state’s streets, is halfway through his first term.

In light of the state’s financial situation, he seems unlikely to meet that goal. Milford Police Chief Thomas O’Loughlin said not funding the training is irresponsible and he holds the state accountable: “There’s just so much specialized training we’re going to be losing.

“It’s not rocket science. If you have a new procedure that comes out for heart surgeries, all of the surgeons will learn it. In-service training should be statewide.”

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written by Lt Gaynor, November 24, 2008

This article needs to be corrected. It is the Massachusetts Police Training Committee that provides most of the In-Service training to police Officers. The Mass State Police have only recently run one hybrid academy in conjunction with the MPTC. The State Police do not have regional academies, they have one, in New Braintree. Most local officers/agencies seek training by bringing in outside vendors. The M.P.T.C is used mainly for In-Serivce training, which is manadatory. It consists of legal updates, CPR/AED, First Responder and the like. It was a cost effective way to insure that officers throughout the state recieved the same or similar training on a yearly basis mainly for certification purposes. It is now an outdated and burdened system. Recently the Massachsuttes Chiefs of Police Organization has developed a On-Line version of In-service Training which is still in developement. It is much more cost effective ( reduction in overtime )and can be done over a longer period of time. This method of training or E learning is a change for the older officer but the newer officers feel right at home with it. Adaptation is the key to succesfull training.

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