Nine new South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers graduated Thursday during a ceremony at the Larkspur Landing Event Center, joining the agency’s 73rd recruit academy class.
Gov. Larry Rhoden congratulated the graduates and thanked them for their commitment to public service, saying law enforcement officers play an important role in keeping South Dakota communities safe.
Highway Patrol Col. Casey Collins told the class that earning the state trooper uniform reflects months of dedication, hard work and sacrifice.
The graduation also carried added significance because it fell on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Collins told the new troopers that the milestone underscored the responsibility that comes with public service and the expectation that law enforcement officers move toward danger when others are trying to escape it.
The nine graduates and their duty stations are Cody Baumgardner in Custer; Colt Bradley in Brookings; Matthew Corda in Deadwood; Cameron Fields and Joseph Hagins in Chamberlain; Trevor Lawrence in Huron; Benjamin Nelsen in Brookings; Hunter Shaw in Sioux Falls; and Seth Spielmann in Brookings.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is an agency of the state Department of Public Safety.
By: Montana Newsroom News Wire