6.3 Recruit Academy, POST Certification & Probation

6.3 Recruit Academy, POST Certification & Probation

The final stage of becoming a Massachusetts municipal police officer has three parts:

1. Academy. Complete basic training approved by the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC).
2. POST certification. Become certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.
3. Probation. Complete a 12-month civil service probationary period.

Basic Training: The Recruit Officer Course

The MPTC sets basic training standards. Completing the Recruit Officer Course (ROC) is required under M.G.L. c. 41, § 96B to be sworn as a municipal police officer. The MPTC describes the ROC as nearly 800 hours of curriculum in three volumes. It emphasizes four principles:

• problem solving;
• procedural justice;
• ethical decision-making; and
• fair and impartial policing.

You cannot enroll yourself. Departments submit applications for the candidates they hire or sponsor.

MPTC-operated academies (start dates from the MPTC schedule updated August 20, 2026; subject to change):

The MPTC also authorizes academies run by others, including:

• Boston;
• Cambridge/Northeastern;
• Fitchburg State University;
• Lowell;
• the MBTA;
• Quinsigamond Community College;
• Springfield; and
• Worcester.

Large departments often send recruits to their own authorized academy. Tuition, registration and academy rules vary, so follow your department's instructions.

POST Certification

Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020 created the POST Commission under M.G.L. c. 6E. No agency may appoint or employ a person as a law enforcement officer unless that person is POST-certified (c. 6E, § 4(g)).

Section 4(f)(1) sets the minimum certification standards:

POST may not certify an applicant who:

• has been convicted of a felony;
• is listed in the national decertification index or the POST decertification database; or
• would have had certification revoked if previously employed by a Massachusetts agency.

A certification expires three years after it is issued, and officers must apply for renewal. POST keeps a publicly searchable database of officer records.

Civil Service Probation

Under M.G.L. c. 31, § 61, a newly appointed full-time municipal police officer must actually perform the job full-time for a 12-month probationary period before becoming a tenured employee. (The general civil service probation under § 34 is six months; the police and fire rule is longer.)

During probation, the second paragraph of § 34 applies. If the officer's conduct, capacity or work is unsatisfactory, the appointing authority may end employment after the officer has served 30 days by giving a written notice that details the particulars, with a copy to HRD. If no such notice is given before probation ends, the officer becomes tenured.

After Tenure

A tenured civil service officer may not be discharged, removed, suspended for more than five days, laid off, transferred, demoted or have their position abolished except for just cause, after notice and a hearing (c. 31, § 41). The officer can appeal to the Civil Service Commission. The Commission affirms the action only if a preponderance of the evidence shows just cause (§ 43).

Obligations That Continue After Appointment

• Residency. Within nine months of appointment, live in the city or town or within 10 miles of its border, unless a collective bargaining agreement extends the distance (c. 31, § 58).
• No tobacco smoking. An officer hired after January 1, 1988 who smokes must first be offered a smoking cessation program; a later violation can be cause for dismissal (c. 41, § 101A).
• Ongoing fitness. Section 61A authorizes in-service health and fitness standards and periodic examinations for officers hired after November 1, 1996 in municipalities that have accepted §§ 61A and 61B.
• Recertification. Renew POST certification every three years while continuing to meet its standards, including the duty-to-intervene and use-of-force rules covered in Chapter 4.