A Rhode Island State trooper is shown in a promotional video for the 2025 State Police academy. (Screencap/Rhode Island State Police YouTube)
Applications to the Rhode Island State Police Academy were down significantly this year, even after the state spent around $85,000 on an advertising campaign to attract potential recruits.
A total of 456 people applied to the highly selective training program to become a state trooper by the Aug. 31 deadline for the Class of 2025. That’s about a 27% decrease from last year, when there were 629 applicants vying for 40 spots in the 2024 academy class.
The total includes 383 men and 63 women.
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The Rhode Island Department of Public Safety shared the application numbers, advertising expenditures, and a demographic breakdown of the applicants in response to an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request from Rhode Island Current.
Some demographics did see a slight increase: There were five American Indian or Alaska Native male applicants, compared to just two last year. There were 70 Black or African American men who applied, which is 10 more than the year prior.
But most categories, men and women both, dipped lower. Even white men — who historically comprise the biggest chunk of academy applicants — dropped 42%, from 281 applicants to 161 this year.
Rhode Island State Police academies do not always run in consecutive years, but increased funding in the state budget made back-to-back academies in 2024 and 2025 possible. The greater frequency has not necessarily led to more interest: This year’s numbers continue a downward trend for academy applications, which dipped below 1,000 for the first time in 2022. Applications for the 2025 academy were less than half the number received that year.
Rhode Island’s elite law enforcement did try to attract more applicants, with a campaign that included three digital billboards. “Cardi’s Furniture and Mattresses also donated time on their billboard for the recruitment effort,” according to the APRA letter signed by Chief Legal Counsel Adam J. Sholes.
Cromwell Public Affairs designed and managed the recruitment campaign, which included a promotional video spot. The 100-second ad spot showcases approximately 20 seconds each of women officers and officers of color as they perform a variety of job duties in and out of the field.
Despite the smaller pool of applicants, there was no shortage of possible attention on the billboards, which received 3,781,245 impressions, according to Public Safety.
“It is important that the Rhode Island State Police reflect the state we serve, and so we seek to recruit a diverse group of men and women from different backgrounds with a wide variety of skill sets,” Lt. Col. Creamer said in an email through Cara Cromwell, who heads Cromwell Public Affairs.
“Our job offers many different paths, but they all begin on our roadways, so our communications show the role of the uniformed Trooper as well as some of the specialty units that Troopers can be part of during the course of their careers.”
Creamer did not respond to an inquiry about whether the application numbers lived up to expectations. Cromwell deferred to the State Police for specific comments about the ad campaign her company created. Cromwell said she does not speak on the record about client projects unless she’s specifically designated as a spokesperson.
Demographic data for Class of 2025 applicants show white men comprised 35% of applicants, followed by 99 Hispanic or Latino men and 70 Black men .
Among female candidates, there were 27 white women, the most numerous followed by 16 Hispanic and Latino women and seven Black women. Ten people did not supply any demographic data, so their gender or race weren’t recorded. An additional 29 men and seven women gave their gender but not racial identity.
Sholes wrote in an Oct. 10 letter to Rhode Island Current that the selection process remains ongoing for the 2025 academy. Recruits receive a biweekly salary of $1,800 during the 23-week academy training.
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