Super Trooper: Danbury Man Graduates CT State Police Academy

DANBURY, CT — The Connecticut State Police graduated 53 State Troopers in a ceremony Thursday at the Hartford Armory, all members of the 131st Training Troop.

Among the new troopers is Nicholas Rocha of Danbury, who was assigned to Troop A in Southbury.

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 cadre that started the Connecticut State Police Training Academy Sept. 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.