By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Hartford, Conn. — Connecticut State Police launched a year-round recruiting push as nearly 175 troopers—~20% of the force—become retirement-eligible by Dec. 2027. Officer
- Force sits at ~950 troopers, down from a historic benchmark of 1,248; specialized traffic unit fell from 62 (2018) to 15 (2024). Officer
- Outreach blitz: troopers canvassing gyms (Planet Fitness), colleges, HBCUs, and military bases including Groton Sub Base and Fort Drum. Officer
- Overtime pressure: state spent $60M on CSP OT in 2024; leadership weighing incentives to keep veterans from retiring. Officer
- Applications active: hiring pipeline and selection process promoted via BeACTTrooper.com and CT DESPP recruiting pages. BeACTTrooper+1
HARTFORD, Conn. — Facing a potential loss of nearly one-fifth of its sworn ranks to retirements by late 2027, the Connecticut State Police (CSP) has launched an aggressive, year-round recruiting effort that pushes far beyond traditional job fairs, officials said Monday. The initiative comes as staffing hovers around 950 troopers, well below a long-debated 1,248-trooper benchmark once written into state law. Officer
State Public Safety Commissioner Ronnell Higgins said teams of troopers are now on the road daily, targeting places where prospective applicants gather—Planet Fitness gyms statewide, college campuses (including HBCUs), and military installations such as the Naval Submarine Base in Groton and Fort Drum in New York. “It’s like the U.S. military now—the way that we recruit,” Higgins told the Hartford Courant. Officer
The urgency is driven by retirement eligibility for nearly 175 troopers by December 2027, including 88 eligible by early 2026, according to the report. CSP’s specialized traffic unit illustrates the strain: 15 members in 2024, down from 62 in 2018. Leadership is also considering incentives to encourage late-career troopers to stay longer to preserve institutional knowledge and ease turnover. Officer
Staffing shortfalls have carried budget consequences. Overtime for state police reached about $60 million in 2024, part of broader OT outlays across Connecticut agencies, and lawmakers earlier this year approved general wage increases aimed at bolstering recruitment and retention, with debate continuing over how far compensation changes can move the needle. Officer+1
Alongside on-the-ground outreach, CSP has streamlined the application pipeline—promoting timelines, fitness requirements and process changes through the BeACTTrooper portal and DESPP’s recruiting pages. Recent notices highlighted cycle openings in 2025 and the move to handle applications through PoliceApp. BeACTTrooper+2CT.gov+2
Connecticut’s troop strength has been a friction point for more than a decade, dating to litigation and a policy shift that removed the 1,248-trooper minimum from statute. Recent local reporting and state budget debates have also underscored that CSP remains roughly 300 troopers short of staffing levels from a decade ago. Norwalk Hour+2Connecticut General Assembly+2
Officials said the immediate goals are to fill academy classes, reduce forced overtime on the road, and rebuild specialized capacities while continuing highway safety and investigative missions. “We have to continue to replenish the ranks. That is a serious matter,” Higgins said. Officer