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Does the reform bill affect new SSPOs?

11K views 35 replies 22 participants last post by  Glock48 
#1 ·
Hi... I'm a retired cop from outside of MA and have been looking to become a CPO and work at a university. I looked around the forum for an answer and couldn't find it, but I apologize if someone already went over this and/or if this isn't the right place to post this. Having said that, I was wondering how the reform bill will impact applying for an exemption from having to attend an academy and being granted SSPO status by MSP? I saw a memo put out by MSP last April outlining all of the different ways to become a SSPO and I didn't know if the reform bill will affect any of that, and if so, what part(s)? Thanks in advance!
 
#4 ·
Jrw76,
Where were you a LEO? Were you fulltime & did you graduate from a full time academy? I was just granted exemption through the Certification Unit of the MA State Police for SSPO Certification. There's a required list of things you need to send to the Certification Unit and in addition, you have to have your employer, the Police Chief, sign off on the request for exemption.
You are correct, as far as the R/I Academy's, they are not being held anymore.
 
#5 ·
Hi ...thanks for responding and congratulations on getting the waiver. Yes I was a fulltime cop and went to a fulltime academy and worked in NY. Massachusetts is different than in New York in regards to different levels of police and training. Here you're either certified or you're not and it doesn't matter fulltime or part time, etc. So there has been a learning curve and I really appreciate people offering their knowledge. Do you know if MSP and MPTC operate independently of one another or does MPTC ultimately have authority over MSP making people SSPOs?
 
#7 ·
The whole point to POST to bring everyone up to a common level of training, but in typical political Massachusetts fashion its become "all police training shall do... X" (*With the exception of the state police) then it will bleed over into the DOC academy, campus cops, part-timers, then well Worcester can have its own academy and I guess Boston too. and so on until we are right back to where we are now.
 
#18 ·
I'm hearing of a bridge academy for sspo to full time coming very soon. I also hear that reserve academies will be eliminated and might have no bridge for them. Pretty reliable source so we shall see
Again,
I think everybody is indulging in sheer speculation at this point. So a bridge academy for SSPO's (campus kids) while the Reserve/Intermittent cops (municipal) get left twisting? Does that even make sense on any level? Everyone cries for standardization across the board, but that is inconsistent right out the gate. You want EVERYBODY to be certified to the same standard, You should give EVERYBODY the same chance to get to that destination and stay there.
 
#17 ·
I personally see the reserve coming back with more hours, under a different name. I just don't see the "full time academy only or bust" model working. Maybe down the line, but not right away. At least, thats my hope. Unless they grandfather all of us currently working any type of LE in, this is going to be a giant shit show.

On a side note, if you look at what POST actually requires in other states (like texas), its not as big a deal as it sounds. In some places, its the bare minimum. Who's to say that the MPTC doesn't come out with a bunch of online training for people to do? There are just too many questions and not enough answers right now.
 
#22 ·
Looking for some insight-

I was told today by a reputable source that current reserves that do attend the bridge academy will be brought up to POST standards and therefore would be able to work in any full time capacity and not have to attend a FT Academy. Has anyone else heard of this yet?

Any knowledge would be appreciated.
 
#23 ·
Looking for some insight-

I was told today by a reputable source that current reserves that do attend the bridge academy will be brought up to POST standards and therefore would be able to work in any full time capacity and not have to attend a FT Academy. Has anyone else heard of this yet?

Any knowledge would be appreciated.
98.125% of us don't have a TANGIBLE fact to report. I am pretty much sick of the wishful thinkers, doomsayers, rumor mongers, and general gossip-flies jumping from one turd to the next with the "reliable source" rumor. BULLSHIT! Grow up, suck it up and shut up. Bottom line is nobody knows with any certainty what is in store.
 
#31 ·
SSPO’s will now fall under POST as of July 1st, they will be among the 24,000 police officers in MA that POST will administer. They will no longer be ‘SSPO’s’ and will just be regular cops, just like every other cop in MA.

Part timers will automatically become full-time certified on July 1st, and will have three years (depending on their last name) to complete the 200 hour bridge academy.
 
#33 ·
Under the new law, the Colonel retains authority for the training standards for troopers and the special state police he trains. The bill did not address what standards he could set for appointments as SSPOs with training equivalent to , say, the MSP operated campus academy.
 
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