AUSTIN — Newly commissioned Texas Highway Patrol Troopers began reporting April 13 to their duty stations across Texas following the latest Texas Department of Public Safety graduation event this spring.
The 138 newly deployed troopers are part of the department’s 177th graduating class includes 114 males and 24 females between the ages of 21 and 54, 45 military veterans, 34 recruits with previous law enforcement experience, and 76 who speak more than one language.
Public Safety Commission Chairman Steven P. Mach delivered the graduation ceremony keynote address.
“Texas Highway Patrol Troopers in their distinctive Texas tan uniforms and black and white patrol cars are a beacon of strength, bravery and comfort in this state,” Mach said. “It is that courage and dedication that makes us so proud and extremely fortunate for your service.”
Mach was joined by fellow Public Safety Commissioners Nelda Luce Blair and Larry B. Long at the ceremony, as well as DPS Col. Freeman F. Martin and other department leadership.
“You’ve made a promise to protect and serve,” Col. Martin said. “While your training has prepared you for what you may encounter on the job, remember that each of you was selected to join DPS for a specific reason.
“We can’t graduate a trooper if we start with the wrong person, and we can’t pin a badge on someone and make them something that they are not,” Martin said. “You hold the intangibles that cannot be taught. You’re here today because of who you are at your core.”
More than 2,100 people applied for the class, and of those, only 179 people were offered a spot in Class C-2024 which began on Aug. 24. Just 155 started the class, and only 138 people successfully completed the entire 30-week Training Academy to graduate and become troopers.
During the 30-week in-resident Training Academy, recruits receive more than 1,200 hours of instruction. This exceeds the mandatory licensing requirement of 736 hours established by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
The comprehensive training comes from experts on various topics, including criminal and traffic law enforcement, crash investigation, crisis intervention, use of force, criminal investigations, communications, cultural diversity, fitness and wellness and emergency medical assistance.
Recruits also receive components of the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care training to include trauma assessment, bleeding control and treatment of shock. The training prepares them to work as a Highway Patrol trooper anywhere in the state, including in remote areas and extreme terrains.
Recruits conclude their rigorous training with the joint field training exercise, a culmination of scenarios and training events that simulate a potential day in the life of a Texas state trooper.
Utilizing the skills and knowledge obtained throughout the Training Academy, recruits participate in more than two dozen scenarios ranging from vehicle pursuits to compliant driver traffic stops over several days. It finishes with a Legacy Run from DPS HQ to the Texas State Capitol.
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