BRISTOL – On December 2, 2021, twenty-nine new troopers graduated from the 81st Indiana State Police Recruit Academy after completing a journey of 25 weeks of intense training. The recruits completed over 1,100 hours of academic and hands-on training in criminal and traffic law, crash investigation, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, firearms, de-escalation, impaired driving detection, scenario-based training, and other classes necessary for modern policing.
Five of the troopers have been assigned to the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post and will now begin three months of field training working next to several different experienced field training officers. After successfully completing this phase, the troopers will be issued their own police cars and begin solo patrol on the Indiana Toll Road.
Richard Harris, 25, is a 2014 graduate of Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, MI. After high school he enlisted in the United States Army, serving on active duty until 2017. He remains a member of the Fort Wayne Air National Guard. Harris went on to attend the Indiana Institute of Technology, graduating with honors in 2021. Harris will patrol the Indiana Toll Road in Porter, LaPorte, and St. Joseph County.
Lecil Martin, 27, is a 2012 graduate of Bishop Noll High School in Hammond, IN. After high school Martin attended Valparaiso University, earning a Bachelor of Arts. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor and Master of Science in 2019. In 2021, Martin earned a Master of Law from Loyola University in Chicago. Martin will patrol the Indiana Toll Road in Porter, LaPorte, and St. Joseph County.
Morgan Gremore, 28, is a 2011 graduate of White Pigeon High School in White Pigeon, MI. Prior to attending the Indiana State Police 81st Recruit Academy, Gremore worked as a dispatcher in the Indiana State Police Region Six Dispatch Center for one and a half years. Gremore will patrol the Indiana Toll Road in St. Joseph, Elkhart, and LaGrange County.
Samuel Sharp, 22, is a 2018 graduate of Westview High School in Topeka, IN. Sharp went on to attend Trine University for a year. Prior to attending the Indiana State Police 81st Recruit Academy, Sharp worked as a corrections officer for the LaGrange County Jail. Sharp will patrol the Indiana Toll Road in LaGrange and Steuben County.
Joshua Brown, 22, is a 2017 graduate of Bellmont High School in Decatur, IN. After high school he attended Indiana Tech earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in accounting. Brown will patrol the Indiana Toll Road in LaGrange and Steuben County.
