Holyoke — On Friday, September 1, Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) Executive Director Robert Ferullo and Holyoke Academy Director Michele Lyons announced the graduation of 47 police officers from the MPTC Holyoke Police Academy’s First Recruit Officer Class (ROC). The graduates successfully completed over 20 weeks of intensive, standardized training in all aspects of law enforcement and will now serve as full-time officers representing 21 police agencies across Massachusetts.
“The latest MPTC graduating class represents our investment in the future generation of public safety leaders who are well-prepared to protect and serve their communities and advance public safety across the Commonwealth,” said MPTC Executive Director Robert Ferullo (Ret. Police Chief). “I commend their commitment to meeting our statewide professional training standards, which has prepared these officers to provide communities with exceptional policing services by putting into practice the advanced skills, values, and principles engrained throughout their training.”
In a graduation ceremony at West Springfield High School on Friday, September 1, members of the First ROC took an oath and received their badges for service. The new officers represented several police departments and agencies, including American International College, Amherst, Belchertown, Chicopee, Dalton, Gardner, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Holyoke, Ludlow, North Adams, Northampton, Pittsfield, South Hadley, Springfield Technical Community College, Sturbridge, UMASS Amherst, Ware, West Springfield, Westfield, and Williamstown. They join over 100 officers who have graduated from MPTC-operated academies in training year 2023-2024.
As part of the MPTC’s commitment to academic excellence and world-class police training, the ROC provides over 800 hours of course curriculum designed to prepare student officers for the safe and effective performance of their duties. In keeping with mandates established by the landmark 2020 police reform law, the MPTC curriculum includes de-escalation training based on new use-of-force policies and regulations. Student officers also receive uniform training based on best practices related to essential modern-day policing needs, including effective communication skills, victim-centered and trauma-informed incident response, missing persons and human trafficking investigations, mental health-related emergency response, active shooter and hostile event response, patrol duties, and officer safety and wellness.
Upon successful completion of the Academy, student officers have met all training requirements to be eligible for Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission certification.
The following is a list of graduates from police departments in Berkshire County:
Great Barrington Police Department
Caleb Kollmer
Robert Lamont III
Westley Reel
Samuel Riva
Pittsfield Police Department
Matthew Ahern
Logan Finn
Mason Alexander Papirio
Williamstown Police Department
Ryan David Dubie
