84th GSP Trooper School Graduates

NEWS RELEASE

GSP GRADUATION CEREMONY ADDS 38 NEW TROOPERS

(ATLANTA)—The Georgia State Patrol has added 38 new troopers to their ranks with graduation ceremonies August 24 of the 84th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.  The new troopers began patrols with the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend on August 31.

   The graduation ceremony marked the culmination of seven months of the most rigid law enforcement training in the country that included three months of on-the-road training under the guidance of a field training officer.  The new troopers have been assigned to vacancies at the Georgia State Patrol’s 48 post locations across the state, according to Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. 

   “These troopers have received the best training available,” Colonel Hitchens said.  “They have undergone grueling physical, textbook and field training to prepare them well for a career in the dangerous profession of law enforcement.”

   Colonel Hitchens noted that the 84th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School graduated during the 70th Anniversary of the Georgia State Patrol.  The first troopers in Georgia began patrols in September, 1937.

   The current class has received specialized training on impaired driving enforcement in addition to special training on pursuit driving, firearms and drug interdiction techniques.  Colonel Hitchens challenged the new troopers to remember that the training they have just completed is the foundation for the remainder of their career.  “Remember the foundation you have built in Trooper School and continue now to build every day on that foundation to be the best trooper you can possibly be,” he said.

   While the 38 new troopers have now graduated, the Georgia State Patrol Training Staff is already making plans to welcome the cadets of the 85th GSP Trooper School that begins in January, 2008.  The 85th School is projected to be one of the largest schools ever.  Colonel Hitchens said the Department has been administering the Trooper examination for potential candidates at satellite locations across the state throughout the summer. 

   “In response to requests from potential applicants, we have scheduled a Trooper testing session for Saturday, September 15, at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth,” Colonel Hitchens said.  “This testing session will be the final opportunity for anyone wishing to be considered for the January Trooper School.”

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84th GSP TROOPER SCHOOL GRADUATES