From the Pennsylvania State Police, Trooper Jessica Tobin, Community Affairs Officer with the Office of Community Engagement, and Trooper Kathleen Guadalupe, recruiter with the Recruitment Office, discussing women recruits, how the Police have addressed the use of force and de-escalation training, career paths and public events.  We began with a discussion on women and careers with the force, both tell us that people are often still surprised that they are troopers.  Trooper Guadalupe tells us that beyond other diversity issues, the recruitment of women is vital, with Trooper Tobin giving us some of the accommodations the police offer women, including maternity leave and lactation facilities.  They spoke of the importance of Governor Shapiro’s dropping the 60 semester college credit hours needed to become a trooper, it puts us on recruiting par with neighboring states and ends the ‘wealth barrier’ for many otherwise qualified candidates. We discussed the requirements for enlistment, attaining the age of 21 when entering the academy, state residency by graduation, with a high school or GED certificate. They discussed a state police career, after graduation from the academy with training in law, emergency response, gun use and safety, and more, there are three years as a response officer, and then the opportunity to enter one of the 150 job paths including horse or canine patrol, forensics or white-collar crime investigation.   We discussed the effect headlines on police and the use excessive have on recruitment, and they spoke of the ongoing training offered in de-escalation and mental health.  Trooper Tobin also reminded us that families can alert the police of any special needs such as medical or mental health issues within their household, through their local barracks.   
Finally, we discussed programs for the public, including Troop K’s annual Sunny Day Camp for families with special needs, their annual day-long Women’s Expo at the academy, their ride-alongs and crime prevention programs.    
For more information about recruitment go to PATrooper.com.  For more information about programs and the State Police go to PSP.PA.GOV