The 101 new troopers of the Texas Highway Patrol were commissioned at a graduation ceremony held at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin on Friday, Aug. 23, by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The class of 2024 was recruiting. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas gave the opening remarks.
There will be 175 recruits in the department’s A-2024 class. Original enrollment for the DPS Academy was 130 Trooper Trainees on January 29; however, only 101 made it through the full 30 weeks and were awarded the diploma.
Steven McCraw, director of the DPS, stated, “These 101 graduates represent the best and brightest there is.” “It is with much pleasure that we usher in a new crop of DPS leaders, and we am excited to see what the future holds for both our department and our beautiful state.”
For the 30-week in-resident Academy, trainee troopers undergo over 1200 hours of training. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) has set a minimum licensure requirement of 720 hours, but this goes beyond that.
Experts in fields such as communications, cultural diversity, health and wellness, emergency medical assistance, criminal investigations, traffic and criminal law enforcement, crisis intervention, and crash investigation provide thorough training.
Trauma assessment, hemostasis management, and shock therapy are all parts of the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care curriculum that Trooper Trainees do. They will be ready to serve as Highway Patrol Trooper in any part of the state, including in mountainous or otherwise inaccessible regions, thanks to the training they received.
The Joint Field Training Exercise (JFTX) is the capstone of each trooper trainee’s intensive training. It is designed to mimic a typical day on the job as a Texas State Trooper.
Trooper Trainees put their academy training to the test in around 25 scenarios, covering everything from vehicle pursuits to cooperative driver traffic stops. As a final event, a Legacy Run will be held from DPS HQ to the State Capitol Peace Officer Memorial.
Among the other notable aspects of this class are:
- Eighty-six men and fifteen women
- Persons in the age bracket of twenty-one to fifty-four
- thirty-six individuals who have served in the military
On September 15th, the newly commissioned Troopers will go to their respective Texas duty posts.