Certification: New Graduates/Hires/SSPOs
Submission information for law enforcement officer certification
The Commission requires agencies to help verify certain requirements of the statute and submit information to certify new officers. In addition, the statute requires that all new officers attending an academy training be certified by the Commission. Initial certification is valid for three years.
The certification standards for all officers include:
- Attaining the age of 21;
- Successful completion of a high school education or equivalent, as determined by the Commission;
- Successful completion of the basic training program approved by the MPTC;
- Successful completion of a physical and psychological fitness evaluation approved by the Commission;
- Successful completion of a state and national background check, including, but not limited to, fingerprinting and a full employment history; provided, that if the applicant has been previously employed in law enforcement in any state or United States territory or by the federal government, the applicant’s full employment record, including complaints and discipline, shall be evaluated in the background check;
- Passage of an examination approved by the Commission;
- Possession of current first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certificates or the equivalent, as determined by the Commission;
- Successful completion of an oral interview; and
- Being of good moral character and fit for employment in law enforcement, as determined by the Commission.
Certification Standards Fact Sheet for download and printing
Criminal convictions that are directly related to the duties and responsibilities of a law enforcement officer and could potentially disqualify an applicant from eligibility for certification include those that may subject an offender to consequences under M.G.L. c. 6E, §§ 3, 4, or 10.
A new candidate hire is attending, scheduled to attend, or recently graduated from an MPTC-operated or MPTC-authorized basic training academy. The following attestation and related documents will be required, upon MPTC’s request, to be uploaded into Acadis. To request certification documents for a new candidate hire, please download the following documents:
Agency Intake Form: Evaluators/interviewers should use this form for new candidates to confirm that all required questions on the questionnaire have been answered prior to submission. Evaluators should review the results of the candidate’s background check, conduct an oral interview covering designated topics, and complete a thorough examination to assess whether the candidate possesses the requisite character and fitness to be an officer. Upon completing these steps, the evaluator or interviewer must complete the attestation and submit the Agency Intake Form and Candidate Packet.
Candidate Packet: In order to be certified as an officer in Massachusetts, candidates should fill out this Candidate Packet with questionnaire and Chief Attestation Form. Please use the Non-Attestation Form if the Agency Head or designee (or appointing authority for a chief) cannot attest to an officer’s good moral character and fitness for employment in law enforcement.
All applicants for Special State Police Officer (SSPO) warrants must provide their POST certification number and SSPO warrant application to the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) certification unit. Please follow the below guidelines to submit the required forms to POST prior to submitting documentation to the MSP.
If the candidate for SSPO is a recent graduate of a full-time police academy and has already obtained a certification notice/number, this is evidence of graduation from a full-time academy and POST Certification, so there is no need to re-file with POST, simply provide a copy of the certification notice to MSP.
If the officer has already been POST certified, as they have been recertified according to their last name, simply provide a copy of the certification notice to MSP. No further action is required by POST.
Agency Intake Form: Evaluators/interviewers should use this form for new candidates to confirm that all required questions on the submitted questionnaire have been answered. Evaluators should review the results of the candidate’s background check, conduct an oral interview covering designated topics, and complete a thorough examination to assess whether the candidate possesses the requisite character and fitness to be an officer. After completing those steps, the evaluator or interviewer should execute the attestation by submitting the Agency Intake Form and Candidate Packet.
Candidate Packet: In order to be certified as an officer in Massachusetts, candidates should fill out this Candidate Packet with questionnaire. Upon submission to the POST Commission, it will be sent to the designated evaluator or interviewer within your department.
Self Sponsored Application Form: For officers seeking POST Certification without the endorsement of a law enforcement agency.
Professional References Form: To be completed by a professional reference in support of the self-sponsored officer’s candidacy.
Please complete the School Resource Officer Application form below. This form should be completed by the Chief or their designee.
The officer will be required to complete the SRO Attestation, which must be uploaded as an attachment to the application.
Officers must be certified before they can be issued the additional SRO certification. The officer does not need to complete the Candidate Packet.
There is a field in the Agency Intake form for the department to upload a copy of the Candidate Packet – this field is mandatory, but any document can be uploaded here in lieu of the Candidate Packet.
School Resource Officer attestation form (PDF)
School Resource Officer signature page (PDF)
School Resource Officer application
LEA Portal link (Authorized Users Only)
Contact [email protected] if you need assistance.
If seeking certification for multiple officers, please complete one application form for each officer.
Please use the Officer Status Update Form to notify the POST Commission of any changes to an officer’s status.
CERTIFICATION FORMS
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