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On Friday, March 21, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) welcomed 138 new Texas Highway Patrol Troopers from recruit Class C-2024 during a graduation ceremony at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin. This is the department’s 177th graduating class.
Public Safety Commission Chairman Steven P. Mach delivered the keynote address to the class and their families.
“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,” said Mach. “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 Colonel Freeman F. Martin and other department leadership.
“You’ve made a promise to protect and serve,” said Martin. “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. You hold the intangibles that cannot be taught, you’re here today because of who you are at your core.”
2,143 people applied for this 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 30week Training Academy to graduate and become Troopers.
During the 30-week in-resident Training Academy, recruits receive more than 12 hundred hours of instruction. This exceeds the mandatory licensing requirement of 736 hours established by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement ( TCOLE).
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 (JFTX) – 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 approximately 25 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.
114 males and 24 females, ages ranging from 21 to 54 graduated, including 45 military veterans, 34 recruits with prior law enforcement experience and 76 that spoke more than one language.
The newly commissioned troopers will report to their duty stations across Texas on April 13.
