(The Center Square) – Graduating cadets of the Pennsylvania State Police’s 174th class were left with a tall order Friday: “Make good decisions at all times, doing the right things for the right reasons.”
The small group of 49 troopers received their badges in Manheim, southeast of the Trooper Academy in Hershey. They’ll go on to posts beside more than 4,700 others across the state.
The group represents a small fraction of the state’s goal to bolster numbers in both state and local police departments. Gov. Josh Shapiro has set the goal at 1,000 new troopers. The 2025-2026 budget includes funding for four cadet classes.
In an effort to increase numbers and take away unnecessary barriers, Shapiro waived a college credit requirement for new applicants. The decision led to an initial 258% increase in applicants. Friday’s graduating class was the fourth since the requirement was waived.
Numbers in the state’s police force have lagged following nationwide trends. Law enforcement leaders have pointed to shifting perceptions of the job in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and highly publicized police violence like the murder of George Floyd by Officer Derek Chauvin.
At the same time, huge numbers of police are retiring or preparing to retire as the population weathers a major demographic shift. To top it off, many across first-responder positions have pointed to a shift in values among younger generations who demand a type of work-life balance at odds with historical approaches to the job.
PSP has also struggled to recruit a police force that resembles the people it serves. Among the 174th class were a handful of women, but the numbers remain a far cry from the Shapiro administration’s stated goal of 30% of the force by 2030. Recruiting people of color to the force, which is predominantly white, has also been a challenge.
Despite those challenges, the state is making huge investments in equipping its police force. Shapiro appeared in a pre-recorded video during which he mentioned the $400 million going toward building a new training academy in Hershey.
Outside of budget concerns and recruitment efforts, the newest members of the Pennsylvania State Police were keenly aware that their oath might require them to make the ultimate sacrifice. In a tough year for the organization and policing more broadly in Pennsylvania, the harsh realities of the job have been on full display.
In September, three York County officers were shot and killed. In February, another officer was killed while responding to an incident at UPMC Memorial hospital, also in York. Two troopers survived a shooting in Franklin County in October.
“We shall willingly give our own lives before watching another lose theirs, for this is our calling, a call of honor,” Cadet, now Trooper, Joseph A. Williams told his class in a speech before they received their badges.
Williams received several awards for his performance during the group’s 27 weeks of training. The class’s superior officers told them that with those intense days of training behind them, they were headed out to roles confronting what they had so far only imagined. Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris reminded them that would ask them to encounter people on “their very worst day” and would be expected to “restore order to chaos.”
“Regardless of faith tradition this holiday season, let us remember the universal truth of mankind – it is through giving that we truly receive.” said PSP Commissioner Christopher Paris. “Class 174, you have a tremendous opportunity to be, hope and light to your fellow man for an infinite number of interactions.”
