What A Trooper! Branford Man Graduates As CT State Trooper

HARTFORD, CT — Mark DiLauro is now a newly-minted Connecticut State Trooper. He's assigned to Troop E in Montville.

Fifty-three graduated Thursday in a ceremony held at the Hartford Armory.

DiLauro graduated from Plymouth State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and from the Judicial Marshals Academy in 2020, according to his LinkedIn. He was also an intern for the Hamden Police Department and worked as a park ranger at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Colonel Stavros Mellekas, Commander of the State Police, Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz all addressed the graduates.

The graduates are part of the 131st Training Troop that started the Connecticut State Police Training Academy September 10, 2021. It began with remote classes Oct. 10, the class began the residential portion of the Academy, Monday through Friday, and completed the remaining 24 weeks of training.

In total, the class completed a total of 28 weeks and 1,400 hours of training both online and in person. In addition to classwork, the recruits spend many hours on physical conditioning, driving, firearms training, active shooter response, experiential training and other specialized areas of police work.

The 53 members of this class includes 38 men and 15 women. Members of the 131st Training Troop
have diverse backgrounds, training, and experience. Some are former municipal police officers or correction officers, some have been trained as firefighters and EMTs. The youngest member of the class is 21 years old and the oldest is 47 years old.

At their graduation Thursday, the newest Troopers were sworn in by Colonel Mellekas and assigned to one of 11 State Police troops located throughout Connecticut.