A local solution to meeting workforce needs in public safety

Across the nation, law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit and hire police officers. Multiple social, political, and economic forces are at play simultaneously, and are shaping the current state of public safety recruitment and retention. The challenges are systemic in nature and reflect individual level considerations, making solutions to the problem complicated.

As vacancies increase due to retirements and the inability to fill open positions, officers are left overworked and burned out. If law enforcement agencies continue to lose officers without bringing in qualified, trained officers to replace them, communities will soon begin to feel the effects.

Longer wait times for service, fewer crimes solved and cleared, and on-duty officers who are overworked threaten the quality of life and safety in our communities. When the importance of officer mental wellness is widely recognized, powerful efforts to train, recruit, hire, and retain officers become increasingly important.

The Commonwealth University – Mansfield Public Safety Training Institute is building bridges between the community, high school career and technology centers, and regional and state agencies. Through articulation agreements with high school career and technology centers, students can have their training and education recognized toward an associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Credit for prior learning evaluations allow public safety personnel to trade their training hours and certifications for college credits. These types of stackable pathways allow individuals to shorten their time to career and degree completion, allowing for upward economic mobility.  

CU-Mansfield is providing a steady source of future police officers through its Act 120 Municipal Police Academy, a certified 26-week course required to become a municipal police officer in Pennsylvania. The Mansfield academy is at the forefront of high-quality education and training as the first academy in Pennsylvania to include state-of-the-art virtual reality training. The immersive VR experience allows cadets to take the knowledge learned in the classroom and immediately apply it to a variety of life-like scenarios. Police departments from every corner of Pennsylvania are traveling to Mansfield to recruit academy cadets.

Another innovative way Commonwealth University is addressing workforce needs is through its Criminal Justice Pathway, which allows students to include Mansfield’s Act 120 Police Academy as part of their associate or bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Students can graduate with their degree and be certified as a municipal police officer. CU is the only university in Pennsylvania to provide this opportunity to students.

Commonwealth University and the Mansfield Public Safety Training Institute are laser focused on continuing to build a trained workforce for the region, Pennsylvania, and beyond. We all need public safety professionals, and our communities will benefit from these efforts.

For more information about the Mansfield Public Safety Training Institute, visit commonwealthu.edu/mpsti