If you are a selected applicant, you will attend the Maryland State Police Training Academy in Sykesville, Maryland.
While at the Academy, you will be expected to maintain a high level of military discipline. Ethics, teamwork, and accountability are the hallmarks of this intensive program.
You will take college-level academic classes (for which you will receive 45 college credits). You will learn how to operate a vehicle under the most stressful emergency conditions. You will spend two weeks with the Firearms Training Unit mastering the Glock Model 17 9mm handgun and a patrol shotgun. You will learn defensive tactics (including boxing and martial arts) and officer survival. You will run every day. You will become certified to administer the Standardized Field Sobriety Test to detect drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. You will have an in-depth knowledge of Maryland's Criminal and Motor Vehicle Laws. You will become a Maryland State Certified First Responder to aid the sick and injured. You will learn how to complete reports using a personal computer. You will physically and mentally push your body to limits you did not believe you could endure. You will be among the country's most highly trained law enforcement officers when you graduate. And you will be in the best shape of your life.
You will live at the Academy Monday through Friday for 26 weeks. You will be required to stand a military-style inspection every day. An accumulation of demerits may lead to disciplinary weekends at the Academy. Whether you were in the military, went to college, or had a job before entering the Academy will not matter. The Academy will be one of the toughest times you will ever endure.
After graduation from the Academy, you will report to one of the 23 State Police Barracks. Your authority will be statewide and far beyond that of local and county police officers. You will be supervised by an experienced Field Training Trooper (FTT) for eight weeks. During this period, you will apply your Academy education and training to actual police situations. Following satisfactory completion of field training, you will begin independent patrol duties.
