DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police have reached a major milestone in their long-term effort to modernize the State Police Academy with the completion of a new horse stable designed to support the agency’s Tactical Mounted Section.
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The newly finished 21,000-square-foot facility is the first structure completed as part of the academy’s $387.8 million reconstruction and expansion project, which began in December 2023. The stable can house up to 30 horses, providing spacious individual stalls that allow animals to turn, lie down, and move comfortably, according to state police officials.
In addition to the indoor facility, the horses now graze on more than 50 acres of newly developed pasture along East Hersheypark Drive, significantly expanding available outdoor space for the unit.
“The unveiling of our new stable marks an important milestone in updating the Academy’s facilities,” Colonel Christopher Paris, Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said in a news release. “This investment not only enhances the care and safety of our horses, but also strengthens the training environment for our Mounted Unit and cadets. It reflects our commitment to preserving tradition while preparing for the future of law enforcement in Pennsylvania.”
The Tactical Mounted Section plays a critical role in crowd management and public safety during major events across the state. Mounted troopers are regularly deployed to large-scale sporting events, concerts, and public gatherings.
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“The elevated vantage point of mounted troopers enhances their ability to oversee and manage large crowds,” state police said in the news release.
During 2025 alone, the mounted unit was requested 239 times, including deployments for Penn State home football games and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory celebration. Beyond operational assignments, the horses also appear at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and a wide range of community outreach events.
The new stable is part of a broader redevelopment of the 146-acre academy campus, which has remained fully operational throughout construction. Several additional facilities are currently under development, including a five-story Marquee Building that will serve as the academy’s primary hub.
Scheduled for completion this year, the Marquee Building will include classrooms, administrative offices, a cafeteria, and 300 individual dormitories for cadets. State police plan to move into the building in the fall.
Other projects underway include a new physical education facility, updated headquarters for the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations, and multiple tactical training villages designed to simulate high-risk law enforcement scenarios.
The Pennsylvania State Police Academy has a long history in the Hershey area. Recruits have trained locally since 1924, when the former Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol secured property from Milton S. Hershey. Following the 1937 merger of the Highway Patrol and State Police, training continued on Cocoa Avenue until the academy relocated to its current East Hersheypark Drive site in 1960.
Today, the academy sits near Hersheypark, Troegs Brewing, and Tanger Outlets Hershey, and continues to serve as the central training location for Pennsylvania’s state troopers.
Originally reported by Daniel Urie in Penn Live.
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