INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – Thursday the 78th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy completed their graduation ceremony in the Indiana State Capitol Rotunda.

After the commencement address the oath of office for the 54 new state police officers was delivered by The Honorable Justice Mark Massa, of the Indiana Supreme Court.  Each new trooper was then presented their badge and official identification by Superintendent Carter and his staff.

The graduation marked the culmination of 22 weeks of intense training that exceeded 1,018 hours. Some subject areas of training included criminal and traffic law, crash investigations, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, firearms, and a host of other subjects related to modern policing.

Each graduating trooper will be assigned to one of 14 State Police Posts across Indiana. Once at their assigned district, the new troopers will spend the next three months working side by side with a series of experienced Field Training Officers (FTO). The purpose of the field training is to put to practical application the training received over the duration of the formal academy training. Upon successful completion of field training, the new troopers will be assigned a state police patrol vehicle and will begin solo patrol in their assigned district.