Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday provided the keynote address at the graduation of the Michigan State Police’s 143rd Trooper Recruit School.
During the ceremony, Colonel Joe Gasper, director of the Michigan State Police (MSP), administered the Oath of Office to 46 individuals who begin their assignments at MSP posts across the state next week.
“Congratulations to the 46 Michiganders in the 143rd Trooper Recruit School for their graduation into a proud tradition of excellence and public service. They will help make our state a place we can all be proud to call home, where everyone feels safe on the road, in their neighborhood, and at school,” said Governor Whitmer. “I will continue to work with anyone to bring down crime and invest in our communities, and I am immensely grateful to the sacrifices our troopers make to keep us safe.”
The 143rd Trooper Recruit School began on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, with 63 prospective troopers, at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing. Recruits received training in patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, cultural diversity and implicit bias, decision making, leadership, first aid, criminal law, crime scene processing, firearms, water safety, defensive tactics and precision driving. With this school, the MSP refreshed its training model to capitalize on adult learning and promote wholistic leadership skills like communication and decision-making, while offering recruits more personalized support to succeed. To learn more about these changes and the department’s commitment to modern policing, check out this MSP Newsroom story.
Tpr. Nicholas Pendell was elected Class Orator by his fellow recruits and spoke on behalf of the graduating class at their ceremony. Recognized prior to the ceremony was Tpr. Sean Park who received the Outstanding Performance Award, Tpr. Justin McIntyre who received the Physical Fitness Award, Tpr. Aaron Weston who received the Marksmanship Award, Tpr. David Versin who received the Team Building Award and Tpr. Tyson Fetter who received the Academic Achievement Award.
“Our newest troopers represent not only the future of our department, but the future of policing,” said Col. Joe Gasper, director of the MSP. “I’m confident these 46 men and women will continue to raise the bar of modern policing as they work toward our department’s Just Cause, which is to help build a Michigan where everyone feels safe and secure. With the training they have received, I trust they’ll provide exceptional customer service, treating everyone with dignity and respect.”
Including the 46 graduates of the 143rd Trooper Recruit School, there are approximately 1,170 troopers assigned statewide, and a total of 1,885 enlisted members in the MSP.
The next recruit school, the 144th Trooper Recruit School, will begin on July 9, 2023, at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing.
With hundreds of trooper vacancies due to continued attrition, the MSP is actively recruiting for future trooper recruit schools. Persons interested in learning more should visit www.michigan.gov/MSPjobs for information on how to apply.
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