Law would require some college education for Massachusetts cops

A bill in the state Senate proposes that aspiring police officers receive the equivalent of an associate’s degree before they can be sworn in.

The Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement (MAPLE) filed the legislation, which would require applicants to the state’s police forces complete 60 college semester credits in a criminal justice, police science, or other degree approved by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST).

Currently, officers are required to have a high school diploma or GED.

MAPLE President Retired State Police Major Dennis Galvin called the bill “the most significant police reform legislation” since the creation of POST and said that its passage would enhance the training of officers in key areas.

For example, he said having implicit bias is about “a lack of comprehension about how big the world is,” and being able to learn about other cultures and the world in an academic setting can open would-be officers’ eyes.

Studying psychology could give a foundation to future officers to tackle mental health crises, which are becoming an increasing part of police work, he said.

In most departments, only some officers are skilled in methods like “critical incident training,” but when situations happen at “1 a.m. on a Saturday,” Galvin said it’s likely that it’s a patrol officer with more basic training who answers the call.

“You gotta have everybody doing this,” he said.

Galvin mentioned the number of officers in Massachusetts who cannot testify in court because of Brady related issues. While he said some of those officers may have lied, the majority likely made mistakes because they struggled to know the law, something again he said should be addressed in schooling.

He said one need look no further than the Karen Read trial to find an example of officers not appearing to know best legal and police practices.

Read was accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe, by hitting him with her Lexus during a blizzard in 2022.

During her two second-degree murder trials — the first ended in a hung jury and the second acquitted Read of all serious charges — officers who took the stand were questioned about apparently inadequate investigative methods, including infamously using red solo cups to collect evidence.

Several officers were disciplined for their involvement in the case, and State Police Trooper Michael Proctor was fired largely in relation to inappropriate text messages about Read revealed during his testimony at her first trial.

“It was a disaster,” Galvin said. “There was an issue of a lack of competence.”

Another skill that could be aided by further college education is de-escalation practice, something he said takes time to develop.

At a very basic level, Galvin added that, “you have to be able to write reports… you can’t write, you’re no good in this business.”

When asked about how requiring the college credits could prevent some lower-income applicants from trying to become police officers, Galvin said that has been a problem in trying to get this reform off the ground in the past, “not so anymore.”

He pointed to the state’s free community college program and noted that students from minority backgrounds are making up a greater portion of those participating.

“It’s not novel,” Galvin said of the idea, explaining that calls for this kind of reform have been around since the 60s. President Lyndon B. Johnson had commissioned a report on policing in 1967 that recommended setting a goal of making a bachelor’s degree a requirement for law enforcement officers.

Massachusetts wouldn’t be the first state to implement it, he said: Minnesota and Wisconsin already require police applicants to have 60 credits.

The bill (SD.3826) has been referred to the committee on rules of the two branches, acting concurrently.