After being hired by NPD, candidates must then complete the MPTC police academy.  The nearest police academy is in Holyoke.  An academy class typically consists of 60 recruits from police departments across the state.  Training occurs Monday through Friday and usually takes place during daytime hours.  Recruits do not sleep at the police academy.

Once graduating from the police academy, officers enter the four-month Field Training and Evaluation Program at NPD.  During the FTEP rookie officers are paired with veteran Field Training Officers who teach individuals how to apply academy training to the street.