ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Michigan State Police (MSP) hosted a hiring event on Thursday at Bay College.
“We have several [trooper] schools slated for the next couple of years, so we want to get those schools filled,” said MSP Lieutenant and Public Information Officer Mark Giannunzio. “They’ll be able to take the initial test, get a whole bunch more information for these people that are interested, get them signed up and hopefully wearing the blue uniform in a short amount of time.”
According to Giannunzio, much of the testing included observational skills, recall, and ability to develop an accurate report.
“In the past, you’d have to travel to Lansing to get a lot of these steps taken care of,” he said. “This brings Lansing to us here in the Upper Peninsula and gives people that opportunity to take care of several of those steps to becoming a Michigan State Police trooper.”
Giannunzio says the hiring event gave recruits a jumpstart toward taking on needed positions here in the U.P., as well as throughout the state.
“There is openings at every State Police post right now,” he said. “We are short-handed. We are facing in the next couple of years multiple retirements, so we need to backfill these positions. The governor and the legislature has made the Michigan State Police a huge priority in their budget, so we need to fill the ranks.”
For those who missed the event, officials are always looking for qualified, dedicated individuals to join the Michigan State Police.
“The term ‘policing’ is so broad right now,” Giannunzio said. “It does not mean that we’re looking for people to solely go out and write traffic tickets or arrest people all the time. Sometimes that means getting out in the community and helping people in multiple different ways. So people that are just willing to serve their community.”
To learn more about a career with the Michigan State Police, visit mspjobs.michigan.gov. Another hiring event is scheduled in Marquette on October 24.
