There was a time about three decades ago when the Pennsylvania State Police had no trouble attracting qualified candidates to become a state trooper. But in recent years, the number of applicants has dwindled, from 10,000 candidates for each hiring cycle to only about a thousand.
A new policy has turned that decline around. The last enrollment period showed a 258 percent increase in candidates taking the state police written exam, and a second enrollment period has just begun with high expectations.
The rally is the result of the state police dropping the requirement of at least sixty college credits achieved. After last year’s final enrollment period attracted only about 900 applicants, more than 1,500 candidates took the exam in the first cycle of this year, in August, and about a thousand passed it. Sixty percent of them had no college degree.
If a candidate passes the written exam, there are more tests and background investigations, followed by a 28-week cadet training program that must be passed in order to become a state trooper.
The starting salary for Pennsylvania State Police troopers is $67,000. The second enrollment period ends January 31st.
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