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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – A new bill to boost recruits for police departments in the Commonwealth is being introduced on Beacon Hill.
The bill would provide full tuition reimbursement for anyone pursuing a degree in criminal justice or certificate in law enforcement in the state.
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Representative Lenny Mira of Georgetown introduced the bill, and, during this week’s Joint Committee on Public Service, he said the bill would be extremely beneficial for community colleges.
“It would be great if those community colleges, which have a high number of minority members, could steer some people in this direction,” Mira said. “It would be great if our big-city police forces, the members of that police force looked like the community they were policing. It just makes sense.”
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Police departments across Massachusetts have been struggling to recruit as some officers age off the force and they struggle to accrue younger members.
On average, Massachusetts sees around 35,000 applicants for the Civil Service Exam each year. However, that number was down to 6,000 in 2021.
WBZ’s Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) has more:
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