Trooper Applicant Pool Expands

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania State Police have seen a surge of applicants from people hoping to become state troopers in the month since Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro removed college credit requirements, with nearly half of the aspiring cadets previously being ineligible. The agency said Thursday that in the past month, 1,217 applicants applied, 524 of whom hold a high school diploma or equivalent. In the last hiring cycle, 1,745 applications were submitted over the course of six months. Shapiro’s change removed the educational requirement that applicants had to have 60 college credits, which had been in place since the 1990s.