The Mississippi Highway Patrol started their 22 week-long trooper school yesterday with the hopes of graduating Troopers as part of Cadet Class 63.
Captain Johnny Poulos with the MHP said roughly 150 troopers are eligible for retirement. Cadet Class 63 started with 82 and the class was down to 69 members as of Tuesday.
“We would really like to graduate every cadet that starts the school, but historically speaking, that is just not the case just due to the mental and the physical demands of the school,” Poulos said. “That is what the highway patrol academy is known for and that is to prepare these men and women for what they will be faced with when they start their law enforcement career.”
Trooper school is set to graduate their cadets on May 1st, 2019.
Best of luck to MHP Cadet Class 63. We need you out there. https://t.co/Xh42XjHXGU
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) December 2, 2018
Bryant said that his first responsibility as Governor has been to public safety and the safety of Mississippians, particularly the motoring public.
“This will be my third cadet class that started with the Highway Patrol that started yesterday,” Bryant said. “I think the finest men and women in America will come out of that class and go into their patrol vehicles to protect the public along the roadways in the state of Mississippi.”
Commissioner Marshall Fisher, Colonel Chris Gillard,Lieutenant Colonel Randy Ginn, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Tuggle addressed MHP Cadet Class 63 today in wishing them well throughout the training process. pic.twitter.com/AdBDy8H4Cq
— MS Highway Patrol (@MSHwyPatrol) December 3, 2018
“We graduated class 62 in March of this year, which added to our number of Troopers state-wide, but we are still in a situation where we are very understaffed and the really troubling part is that we have 150 Troopers who are eligible for retirement today,” Poulos said. “That’s why it is so important for this Trooper school to begin and hopefully, in the future, we can start another Trooper school where we can get enough Troopers out there on the road to protect and serve the people of Mississippi.”
