A new Louisiana State Police cadet class starts their first full day of training today in Baton Rouge. Sgt. Nick Manale says over the next 16 weeks, they will cover everything from classroom instruction to hands on scenario based training. He says these individuals were carefully selected to ensure State Police has the right people.
"These men and women are going ot be putting their lives on the line and they have to be the best trained, best prepared, best equipped troopers that we can put out there on our roadways," Manale told the Louisiana Radio Network's Emelie Gunn. "We're certainly happy to have this group of cadets for our new academy."
Manale says 80 cadets will participate in the intense training in hopes of graduating in December and wearing the “Gold Boot” badge. He says this is the third State Police cadet class since 2014, which is helping to boost their numbers after not having any new troopers for five years.
"We're just really trying to make sure we have an increased presence out there on our roadways," Manale said. " We are making sure our troopers are out there doing what they are supposed to be doing, and well-trained and capable, and being the most professional law enforcement agency in our state, of course."
Manale says even though they’ve added over 100 troopers since 2014, they are still hoping to have another cadet class soon, after this current one wraps up.
"We are asking people to either go to our Web site and click on the "recruiting" tab to learn the process of becoming a Louisiana state trooper," he said. " They can also visit the Louisiana State Police Commission Web site to get information on the cadet testing process and the application process."
Editor's Note: The preceding story was courtesy of the Louisiana Radio Network.

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