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Last updated on Tuesday, May 13, 2014
(VERSILLES) - Three new troopers reported to Versailles Post to begin their careers as Indiana State Troopers.
On November 10, 2013, of the 3,000 plus individuals who applied for a position in this class, 80 made the final cut and reported to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy to begin their training as members of the 73rd Indiana State Police Recruit class.
Of the 80 who started, only 47 recruits were able to endure the entire 25 weeks of intense training which included over 600 hours of classroom and 300 hours of hands-on practical and scenario based training.
Their hard work and dedication paid off Thursday evening, May 1 in the rotunda of the Indiana State Capitol in a graduation ceremony which included Governor Mike Pence delivering the keynote address.
The new troopers were then sworn in by the Honorable Brent E. Dickson, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, after which each trooper was presented their badge.
Reporting to Versailles Post Monday morning was Probationary Troopers Ethan A. Back, James A. Herbert, and Dustin S. Whitaker.
Ethan A. Back, 21, is a lifelong resident of Ripley County and a 2011 graduate of South Ripley High School in Versailles. He attended Ivy Tech Community College in Madison studying Criminal Justice. Prior to entering the recruit academy he worked as a courtesy clerk at Versailles Cash Savers.
James A. Herbert, 27, is a 2006 graduate of South Decatur High School in Westport, IN. He served six years in the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq from March, 2008 to April, 2009. He has a five year old daughter and before the recruit academy he was employed by Dan Wenning Floor Finishing in Greensburg.
Dustin S. Whitaker, 24, is a native of Washington County and a 2009 graduate of Eastern High School in Pekin, IN. He attended Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg graduating in 2012 with an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to attending the recruit academy he served as a Kitchen Supervisor at the Henryville Correctional Facility and he also served as a reserve officer for the Salem Police Department.
The three new troopers will continue their training for the next three months as part of the ISP Field Training Program. The Field Training Program pairs new troopers with veteran troopers or Field Training Officers (FTO's) to allow the new troopers to take what they learned in the recruit academy and apply it in the field under the close supervision of the FTO. Upon successful completion of their field training, they will be issued their own commissions and be assigned solo patrol responsibilities.
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