State Police Trooper Recruit School To Graduate Friday

michiganstatepolicegood-198
michiganstatepolicegood-198

The 136th Michigan State Police Trooper Recruit School will graduate this Friday in Lansing. 43 new Michigan State Police troopers will have officially completed the program, and after the ceremony, they’ll head off to their new posts. MSP Lieutenant Jeremy Carlisle out of Niles tells WSJM News the academy involves both classroom work and physical training.

“The academy itself is usually 22 to 26 weeks in length, sometimes 24 to 26, depending on the curriculum and the time of year with various holidays and time off,” Carlisle said. “It’s all in-house in Lansing.”

The recruits take classes on law, emergency vehicle driving, firearms training, and water safety, among other things. Carlisle says it isn’t easy to get through the academy.

“I can’t speak for all troopers, but I can speak for myself in that it was one of the hardest things that I ever did in my life. Getting to the end and graduating and receiving that trooper badge, walking across the stage and receiving it from the colonel, was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life.”

Among the 43 recruits graduating this Friday are two that will be stationed in southwest Michigan, both at the Paw Paw MSP post. Graduates of the academy can request to be posted near their home area, but there’s not a guarantee that’s where they’ll be sent. Carlisle says some even ask to be surprised. Governor Gretchen Whitmer will speak at Friday’s graduation.