New Georgia State Troopers Prepare To Serve The Public

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Thirty newly minted troopers will report to their assigned posts on Monday, March 16 throughout the state.

These troopers recently graduated as part of the 96th Trooper School for the Georgia State Patrol.

The graduation took place on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth after 31 weeks of intense training.

Governor Nathan Deal was the keynote speaker. Additional remarks were given by Colonel Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety and Capt. Scott Woodell, director of training.

The Oath of Office was administered by Georgia Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton.

Trooper cadets spend 18 weeks at the academy, 12 weeks in field training, and return to the academy for one week of preparation for graduation. The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) requires that all peace officers receive a minimum of 400 hours of Basic Mandate Training.

At the completion of Trooper School, these newly graduated trooper cadets received over 1,500 hours of training, including driving, defensive tactics, vehicle stops, Spanish, criminal law and criminal procedure, firearms, accident investigation and various other training.

During remarks to his fellow class members, class president, Tpr. Michael M. Bailey, reflected on the brotherhood they had created over the past 31 weeks and its importance to their roles as state troopers.

Four of the graduates received special honors for top performance in various fields of study. The honorees were:

• Highest Firearms Proficiency – Tpr. Dillon K. Rutledge
• Highest Driving Proficiency – Tpr. Nicholas Carter
• Highest Academic Average – Tpr. Michael B. Nolen
• Top Gun – Tpr. Dillon K. Rutledge

For the first time in the Georgia State Patrol’s history, the trooper who maintained the highest academic average received a $1,000 scholarship towards a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Reinhardt University. This scholarship was awarded to Tpr. Nicholas Carter for maintaining a 97.86 academic average.

Additionally, the following graduates were recognized for their leadership: Tpr. Jacob P. Sanchez, Vice President; Tpr. Michael B. Nolen, Secretary/Treasurer; Tpr. Harold B Cox, Jr., Sergeant-At-Arms; Tpr. Anthony S. Clark, Pennant Bearer; and Tpr. Kenneth J. Rugsby, Chaplain.

Each commissioned trooper will report to his post on Monday, March 16. The new graduates are assigned to one of the 52 posts throughout the state:

Glenn Altman, Dublin, Post 21 – Sylvania

Michael Bailey, Atlanta, Post 48 – Atlanta

Victor Brown, Albany, Post 39 – Cuthbert

Nicholas Carter, Social Circle, Post 32 – Athens

Christopher Choi, Lawrenceville, Post 32 – Athens

Anthony Clark, Dothan, AL, Post 24- Newnan

Harold Cox, Waycross, Post 35 – Jekyll Island

Cullen Debusk, Decatur, TN, Post 27 – Blue Ridge

Christopher Edmiston, Kennesaw, Post 9 – Marietta

Brian Harman, Pine Mountain, Post 24 – Newnan

James Hensley, Ringgold, Post 5 – Dalton

Bryce King, Pine Mountain, Post 24 – Newnan

Steven Kornegay, Boston, GA, Post 13 – Tifton

Hayden Lewis, Covington, Post 25 – Grovetown

Cortney Lokey, Milledgeville, Post 25 – Grovetown

Michael Moore, Dallas, Post 9 – Marietta

Michael Nolen, Lagrange, Post 34 – Manchester

Andrew Pitts, Nashville, GA, Post 36 – Douglas

Tyler Rickman, Forsyth, Post 45 – Statesboro

Kenneth Rigsby, Newnan, Post 4 – Villa Rica

Dillon Rutledge, Union Point, Post 8 – Madison

Jonathan Salcedo, Miami, FL, Post 28 – Jasper

Jacob Sanchez, Bainbridge, Post 39 – Cuthbert

Photo credit: Georgia State Patrol