Hooray and undying respect to the young men and women who want to serve their communities as state troopers.

Historically, all state police recruits in Pennsylvania were required to hold a college degree, but it was announced Aug. 28 that a degree was no longer needed to join the state police in the recruitment process.

An article in the Sept. 29 Butler Eagle stated that applications have surged since the announcement.

Of the 1,217 people who applied for state police academy, 524 held only high school diplomas, which would have precluded them from attending under the old rules.

Lt. Adam Reed, spokesperson for the state police office in Harrisburg, said he expects all barracks in Pennsylvania — including Troop D in Butler — to see a wider pool of qualified applicants that can return to their communities to protect and serve.

And it’s not like recruits are handed a badge and uniform and assigned a cruiser after they are accepted.

Recruits must take a written exam, polygraph test and medical and psychological exams, as well as a physical readiness test, before they begin their rigorous training at the State Police Academy in Hershey, Dauphin County.

While the majority of young men and women who become state troopers will no doubt make our Commonwealth proud, residents who believe in the value of education might feel some trepidation that state troopers will no longer carry the breadth of knowledge gained as a student at a college or university.

Hopefully, the new troopers will perform their duties under the watchful eyes of more experienced officers to ensure they are carrying out their tasks to the level expected of Pennsylvania’s very able troopers.

We’re sure the decision to drop the college degree requirement came with a future assessment to ensure the program is working as expected, based on the success or failure of troopers who became state police under the new rules.

The Butler Eagle is behind the decision to open the gates to becoming a trooper a little wider to attract conscientious candidates, and trusts the stringent training they must undergo.

Time will tell if the decision was a good one for the citizens of Butler County, and for all of Pennsylvania.

— PG