New Crop of Mass. State Troopers Sworn In at Gillette Stadium

Members of the Massachusetts State Police 85th Recruit Training Troop were sworn in as state troopers today in a brief noontime ceremony at Gillette Stadium.

The 240 men and women stood in formation while wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Only family members and close friends of the trainees were allowed to attend this year due to precautions necessitated by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Remarks were delivered by Col. Christopher S. Mason, commander of the Massachusetts State Police, and by Governor Charlie Baker.

The trainees, who entered the State Police Academy in January, graduated several weeks early in order to limit the possibility of virus transmission and to increase the MSP’s sworn ranks as it continues to assist with the state’s response to the pandemic while still fulfilling its regular full-service policing mission. The new troopers will complete additional specialized topic coursework on a rotating basis post-graduation.

No MSP graduation has ever been held at Gillette Stadium before, and the location was made available by the Kraft family and the New England Patriots, according to a media release.

Massachusetts State Police provided a livestream of the event on their Facebook page.