Next Generation Of Troopers Graduate From Virginia State Police Academy

After eight months of physically demanding training and hours in the classroom, the 115th generation of troopers will join the ranks of the Virginia State Police following a graduation ceremony on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010. The session includes the addition of 42 new troopers, three commercial vehicle enforcement officers, and one special agent accountant. Commencement exercises for the 115th Trooper Basic Session and 32nd Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer Basic Session begin at 10 a.m. in the Virginia State Police Gymnasium at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond.
Keynote speaker for the graduation is Dr. Billy K. Cannaday, Jr., Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia. Dr. Cannaday is a veteran educator who previously served as the Commonwealth’s superintendent of public instruction and is a former superintendent for Chesterfield County Public Schools.
Prior to entering the Academy, a number of the new troopers served with other law enforcement agencies and/or with a branch of the military. The 115th Basic Session yields more than 33 years of previous law enforcement and corrections experience, as well as almost 90 years of previous military service. After four delays due to the economy and state budget reductions, the 115th Basic Trooper Session ultimately began its comprehensive training on April 27, 2009.
“This class epitomizes what it means to persevere – a characteristic that will serve them well in their law enforcement careers,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. “Their determination and patience to stay the course and stick with this class is a testament to their fortitude and desire to become one of Virginia’s finest.”
The graduating troopers come from every corner of the Commonwealth, as well as Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New York, Tennessee and Texas. Among the reasons the 115th Basic Session sought out the Virginia State Police are “they are a well-respected and top-notch agency” and “I wanted to be a trooper since I was 7 years old.”
The 115th Basic Session endured a 36-week training schedule. The new troopers received more than 1,700 hours of instruction involving 97 different subjects including: crime scene investigation, defensive tactics, judicial procedures, survival Spanish, firearms, and cultural diversity.
The graduates’ final phase of training begins Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, when the troopers report to their respective duty assignments. Each trooper will spend a minimum of six weeks with a field training officer learning his or her new patrol area.