Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured September 30, 2026.
How to become a police officer in Massachusetts
- Certifying body
- Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission (certifies); Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) (trains)
- Certification
- POST law enforcement officer certification (3-year term, then recertification)
- Minimum age
- 21 (M.G.L. c.6E §4(f)(1)(i)). MPTC academy enrollment requires age 21 by graduation (550 CMR 3.06(1)(a)). State Police: at least 21 at first enlistment, and ineligible for the entrance exam if 35 or older on or before the final application filing date (c.22C §10).
- Education
- High school education or equivalent, as determined by the Commission (c.6E §4(f)(1)(ii); 550 CMR 3.06(1)(c)).
- Disqualifiers
- Felony conviction. Listing on the National Decertification Index or the POST decertified database. Prior conduct in any jurisdiction that would have led to revocation. Failing the good-moral-character and fitness determination (c.6E §4(f)(2); municipal police also c.41 §96A). State Police: no smoking (c.22C §10).
- Basic academy
- MPTC Recruit Officer Course (ROC). Completing it is required for municipal, UMass and environmental police under M.G.L. c.41 §96B, and it is given at MPTC-operated or -authorized academies (550 CMR 3.03, 3.06). MPTC describes it as 'over 800 hours' and 'over 20 weeks' (graduation release, 7/17/2026); its Basic Police Academy Training page says 'nearly 800 hours'. 800 is MPTC's descriptive figure, not a rule figure. Student officers must pass academic, skills and physical performance areas, and absences over 10% mean dismissal (550 CMR 3.06(3)-(4)). State Police troopers attend the MSP's own academy.
- State exam
- 'Passage of an examination approved by the commission' (c.6E §4(f)(1)(vi)). Out-of-state and returning officers take the Massachusetts Police Officer Core Competency Assessment (70% to pass; 550 CMR 3.03(2)(a)6, 3.04).
- Fitness standard
- MPTC pre-academy physical standards (550 CMR 3.06(1)(f)). Since September 1, 2019, entrants must pass a four-event MPTC fitness test: 1-minute push-ups, a prone plank, a 1.5-mile run and a 300-meter run. The test is repeated in the middle and at the end of the academy (MPTC Health & Wellness Preparation Guide, E2023). MPTC also lists the HRD Physical Ability Test (PAT) and the HRD medical exam and drug screen as enrollment requirements. Physical performance is one of three graded academy areas (3.06(4)), and POST requires a physical and psychological fitness evaluation that it approves (c.6E §4(f)(1)(iv)).
- Time to certify
- Must be POST-certified before performing police duties (c.6E §4(g)). Academy graduates not certified within 3 years must repeat the academy (550 CMR 3.03(4)).
- Officers from other states
- No statutory reciprocity. The agency petitions MPTC for an out-of-state academy exemption: academy record and hours, at least 2 years of full-time post-academy experience, current first aid/CPR, MPTC firearms qualification, and a passed Core Competency Assessment (max 3 attempts in 12 months). POST certification follows (550 CMR 3.03(2)(a)).
- Continuing training
- At least 40 hours of MPTC in-service training each training year (July 1 - June 30), including 16 mandatory hours: 2 of mental wellness/suicide prevention, 6 of first aid/CPR and 8 of firearms (550 CMR 3.07(1), (3)). It is not required in the year an officer graduates. POST recertification is every 3 years (c.6E §4(f)(3), (i)); officers recertified after July 1, 2025 have expiration dates aligned to their birth month.
Citizenship is unsettled. Neither c.6E §4, 550 CMR 3.06, the MPTC eligibility page nor the POST new-candidate page has a citizenship requirement, and c.22C §10 has none either. There is no statewide driver's-license rule; MPTC requires student officers to hold a Class A License to Carry firearms. The 800 hours is MPTC's 'over 800 hours' description (its Basic Police Academy Training page says 'nearly 800'), not a rule figure. Citations are to 550 CMR 3.00 as amended 11/7/25 (effective 9/26/25). All officers employed on July 1, 2021 were certified automatically and assigned to recertification groups by last name (POST Recertification page). The MPTC Bridge Academy exemption for former reserve/intermittent officers and the 270-day temporary waivers end January 1, 2027 (550 CMR 3.03(2)(b), (3)). Special state police officers and school resource officers have their own certification tracks.
Source: State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Pay in Massachusetts, all employers Sourced
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (SOC 33-3051) in Massachusetts, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.
| Measure | MA |
|---|---|
| Workers | 17,040 |
| 10th percentile | $61,160 |
| Median | $78,940 |
| 90th percentile | $108,150 |
| National median, government employers | $76,300 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
Employers in Massachusetts
331 police departments in Massachusetts.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — law-enforcement agencies by state (API). Data captured September 30, 2026.
Free practice tests for Massachusetts
Massachusetts Civil Service Municipal Police Officer Exam (LEAB)Massachusetts exam · free on Open Exam Prep- Massachusetts POST Commission Peace Officer Certification ExamMassachusetts exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- IPMA-HR / PSHRA Entry-Level Police Officer Test (PO-EL)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery (LEAB)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- National Criminal Justice Officer Selection Inventory (NCJOSI-3)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- National Police Officer Selection Test (POST)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- NTN FrontLine National - Law Enforcement ExamPractice for a named exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- Police Aptitude and Character Test (PACT)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.
More about this job
Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Police Officer page.
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