Week Teaches Life of a State Trooper

He lived in barracks for a week and ate out of a mess hall. He learned about firearms, defensive driving and gang violence.

And for Jordan Wheeler, who will be a senior at this year, it’s all just preparation for a future career.

Wheeler participated in the New Jersey State Police Trooper Youth Week from Aug. 1 through Aug. 5 in Trenton.

“I wanted the experience of going out of my comfort zone and attempting something I have never done at this high of a caliber,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of this experience because it was something that once I accomplished it, I would make myself and my family proud.”

For Wheeler, who wants to be a state trooper one day, he found out about the program while perusing the state police website.

“I started looking over the program’s description and immediately loved what it had to offer,” he said.

To get into the program, Wheeler said, a student has to be nominated, then complete an application review process to be accepted.

Once that was completed, Wheeler said, he began to prepare for the week-long program.

“As soon as I came up to the driveway of the academy that Monday, it looked as if I was in for a tough week,” he said. “I needed to check in and gather all of my luggage, and fall out into a line with my other 130 or so classmates and stand at attention.”

After enduring the first day, and making the decision to stay for the entire week, Wheeler moved forward with the program, living in barracks, eating in a mess hall, attending class in a lecture hall and living as though he was a member of the military.

Wheeler said the students learned to march as a group, the history of the state police and topics that included gang violence, major crimes, health and fitness. In addition, he said, the students learned firearms, defensive driving, SWAT, search and rescue, K9 units, aviation units and different scenarios troopers endure.

“The academy is not for everyone, only those who are ready for a challenge and ready to push themselves,” he said. “You learn to do everything as a team. You are no longer an individual, you are a team.”

Wheeler said he is hoping to be a state trooper one day, and is planning to major in criminal justice with a minor in psychology when he starts college in two years.

“I wanted to learn more about the expectations of a state trooper and to be sure that I really wanted to be a state trooper,” he said.

Wheeler said he learned a great deal of discipline as part of this program, as well as the structure needed to be a state trooper.

“And I felt the motivation it gave me, and the knowledge I learned from the organization,” he said. “This experience really cannot be told in words and is something you can only have if you experienced it yourself.”

“I enjoyed the hands-on experience it gave of the organization and the history it taught,” he added. “I also enjoyed the marching drills and working together as a team rather than as individuals. I loved the different units of the state police we were taught, and do not regret this experience for one second.”

At the end of the week, Wheeler said, he participated in a graduation, as students marched into the gymnasium, led by bag pipes and an instructor yelling commands.

And students were called out individually to receive their certificates, Wheeler said.

“In the audience are your loved ones as well as top officials in the state police and the commandant of the academy,” he said. “After the graduation ceremony, you march outside and perform one last marching exercise in front of everyone, and one last roll call before you depart the academy.”

“Your experience will never be repeated,” he added.