HERSHEY, PA — The Pennsylvania State Police unveiled a new, state-of-the-art horse stable at its Hershey training academy on Friday, marking the first completed structure in a sweeping effort to modernize the 65-year-old campus and reshape how future troopers are trained across the Commonwealth.
The 21,000-square-foot stable, designed to house up to 30 horses, is part of a $387.8 million construction project that began in December 2023 and represents the largest upgrade in the academy’s history. Officials said the new facility significantly improves safety, care, and working conditions for the State Police Tactical Mounted Section while strengthening the overall training environment for cadets.
“This investment not only enhances the care and safety of our horses, but also strengthens the training environment for our Mounted Unit and cadets,” State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris said, calling the stable a milestone that balances tradition with the future of law enforcement in Pennsylvania.
Each stall was built to allow horses to turn, lie down, and move comfortably, and the animals now graze across more than 50 acres of newly developed pasture along East Hersheypark Drive. State police officials said the visibility of the pastures serves as a public reminder of the mounted unit’s long-standing role in Pennsylvania policing.
The Tactical Mounted Section plays a critical role in crowd control and public safety at major events, providing troopers with an elevated vantage point at large gatherings. In 2025 alone, the unit was requested 239 times, including deployments for Penn State football games and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory celebration. The horses also appear regularly at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and community events statewide.
The stable opening comes as construction continues across the 146-acre academy campus. Major projects scheduled for completion in 2026 include a five-story Marquee Building with classrooms, administrative offices, a cafeteria, and 300 individual cadet dormitories, as well as new tactical training villages and facilities for emergency and special operations. Despite the масштаб of construction, the academy has remained operational throughout the project.
State police officials said the modernization effort supports the Shapiro administration’s broader push to strengthen law enforcement staffing and training statewide. The 2025–26 state budget funds four cadet classes, and since Governor Josh Shapiro took office, more than 550 cadets have graduated from the academy, with more than 1,000 new troopers expected to be trained through secured funding.
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