A newcomer State Police head looks to salvage his agency's reputation
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Noble, who was
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'I believe the goal here is to steer a course for the Massachusetts State Police and to do that with transparency, that upholds high standards and deepens our connection to the community we serve,' Noble told the editorial board. 'I'm committed to this role and to being transparent in it. After all, the State Police is a public institution.'
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To that end, Noble, who was previously second-in-command of the New Jersey State Police, recently announced a host of goals, policies, and programs aimed at refurbishing the agency's tarnished reputation.
'We have to resolve to operate at the highest standard,' he said, 'And we are going to instill a culture to do that.'
Some of that starts with the training of those who will eventually join its ranks. Noble named a new leader for the agency's training academy in May and at the same time announced that the first class to be admitted after Delgado-Garcia's death would be divided into two smaller units — one with 124 cadets that started training in May and a second with 130 recruits that will start later this summer, according to a State Police spokesperson.
'A smaller student-to-instructor ratio simply works better,' Noble said. 'It allows a more hands-on direct teaching and training experience.'
That kind of experience would likely improve what has been an atrocious attrition rate — one that hit
At the same time, Noble commissioned the International Association of Chiefs of Police to conduct an independent assessment of the academy.
That assessment will focus 'on the relevance, efficacy, and safety of the paramilitary training model currently in use,' according to the department. And the
The boxing ring remains closed, as it has been since Delgado-Garcia's death. But its relevance and the culture it represented within the academy is now all under a microscope as are the physical and mental 'costs and benefits of communal living arrangements' under which cadets are currently trained. Are those arrangements really beneficial for the mental and physical well-being of cadets?
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And while the academy awaits the results of that review — expected by the end of the year — academy staff 'have completed an hour-by-hour review of recruits' experiences at the Academy' looking for some kind of balance in a rigorous program.
Following on that, Noble announced a wider ranging reform plan, including an emphasis on what he called 'checks and balances' within the system.
'I think the State Police have the capacity to police ourselves,' he added.
The Excellence Initiative, Noble
Toward that end, the plan includes: an advanced training program for investigators already attended by some 500 members of the force; a still-in-progress 'quality assurance unit' to evaluate those investigations (and perhaps catch the next Proctor before he goes off the rails); and a new body camera audit unit to 'help ensure trooper conduct aligns with departmental standards and public expectations.'
Better community outreach is another pillar of Noble's program, which now includes a Community Affairs office, headed by a civilian appointed earlier this year. Locals and visitors alike will cheer if that office succeeds in getting state troopers to stop barking at travelers at Logan airport for the crimes of heading for the wrong airport check-in line or hugging too long at the curb.
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Troopers do, sad to say, have a certain reputation to overcome — aside from the more major sins uncovered by the Read trial.
So Noble has a difficult job ahead of him — supporting his troops, which includes efforts to support their physical and mental well-being while doing what is an increasingly difficult job.
But the colonel's job isn't made any easier by the still unresolved case of Delgado-Garcia, which surely weighs like a stone on the agency and its ability to attract the next generation of troopers.
For all his efforts, Noble's quest to bring transparency to the agency he heads now stalls at the attorney general's door. The people of this state, not to mention the family of Delgado-Garcia, and every would-be trooper who follows him, deserve answers.
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