A class of Louisiana State Police cadets moves on to 20 weeks of intense training Sunday, marking a new step in their journey towards becoming state troopers.  However, getting to this point wasn’t an easy task according to the cadets and their superiors.  “Well, I’m excited to have these 36 cadets report for training and hopefully move forward in their progression in becoming an LSP trooper,” State police Superintendent Colonel Kevin W. Reeves said.  After months of academy training, cadet class 96 will head to roughly 20 weeks of training in various subjects, including advanced crash investigation, cultural diversity, effective communication, and leadership skills to name a few.  “What we want to instill in them is character, problem solving abilities, and the law enforcement techniques they will need moving forward,” Reeves said.  Candidates for state police cadet class 96 were chosen after an extensive hiring process.  That process includes a written test, physical assessment, psychological evaluation, background investigation, polygraph and oral interview.  “Well, you know, I see a lot of fear a lot of the unknown. And I remember that from my first day at the training academy.  So we look forward to them progressing through the training process,” Reeves said.  Colonel Reeves is hopeful the cadets will make it through the intense training period they are facing in the coming weeks.  “I certainly hope all of them will make it through.  During the selection process we tried to select the best candidates we could, so that’s why my hope that in 20 weeks we will graduate 20 cadets,” Reeves added.  Upon successful completion of the LSP training academy, the newly graduated cadets will participate in a 10-14 week field training program before beginning their careers of dedication, protection, and service to the citizens of Louisiana.  This is something the Colonel, says the department needs.  “As you know, we're on the edge of losing a lot of employees to retirement next year.  So this will allow us to provide the safety that the public expects.”   Cadet Class 96 is the fifth state police cadet class to be held since January of 2014.  Cadet Class 95 graduated 46 new troopers on April 5th, of this year.

8/23/17

The second of two state police pilots killed when their helicopter crashed after monitoring street violence in Charlottesville between white supremacists and counter-protesters a week ago was remembered Saturday by friends, family and Virginia’s governor for his quiet commitment to duty and leading the department’s air wing more by listening than talking.  A funeral for Lt. H. Jay Cullen — one day after services for his copilot — ran about two hours in the packed sanctuary of the Southside Church of the Nazarene, to which the service was moved from the Cullen family’s Methodist church to accommodate the overflow turnout.  At least 1,200 people attended, including hundreds of police officers from as far away as California and Texas, as well two former governors, state legislators, judges and Cabinet secretaries.  Col. W. Steven Flaherty, the state police superintendent who met Cullen 17 years ago, said aviation was Cullen’s passion and that he insisted on flying last Saturday because of his familiarly with the computerized video equipment the department used to coordinate the police response to the violence in Charlottesville.  It included the death of a counter-protester allegedly mowed down by a car driven by a white nationalist who has been charged with second-degree murder.  “He listened more than he talked, and when he said something, it was because he had something relevant to say,” Flaherty said of Cullen, adding — to knowing chuckles that rippled across the sanctuary — that the 48-year-old officer who joined state police in 1994 also could make his point with a “wry smile.”  Cullen’s funeral was a moving blend of emotion and precision, opening and closing with the moan of bagpipes and snap of snare drums played by officers from Virginia and other states.  After seven state police pallbearers bore Cullen’s cremated remains to a gray hearse, Gov. Terry McAuliffe presented a folded Virginia flag to Cullen’s widow, Karen, who quietly sobbed.  Police helicopters from nine states flew over the church one by one, the thwack-thwack-thwack of their rotors a tribute to Cullen.  Also — as is the custom at a police funeral — the fallen officer’s badge number is called, approximating the end-of-shift protocol when a trooper goes off duty.  Three times, Nancy Parker, a dispatcher in the Richmond division of state police, called Cullen’s badge number, 71, before announcing, “no contact.”  The ritual was broadcast by radio across the division, which included the state police aviation division Cullen joined in 1999.  In addition to McAuliffe and his wife, Dorothy, the Cullen funeral was attended by Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee for governor; Attorney General Mark Herring; former governors Tim Kaine and Jim Gilmore; House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights; Ed Gillespie, the Republican gubernatorial candidate; and Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, her party’s nominee for lieutenant governor.  McAuliffe, among several chief executives flown by Cullen, said that Cullen — a lean, cycling enthusiast, the husband of a cancer-surviving school teacher and the father of two teenage sons — was a “silent giant” and a “serious, safety-conscious pilot” with whom the politician shared a love of dogs and sports.  “It won’t be the same when I step into that helicopter without Jay in the right front seat, with ‘Cullen’ on the back of his helmet,” said McAuliffe, who described himself and the first lady as “heartbroken” over the deaths of Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates.  A funeral for Bates, a former member of McAuliffe’s security detail, was held Friday at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County.  McAuliffe said that on Friday night he gathered with officers from across Virginia and other states in a Shockoe Bottom nightspot favored by Bates for “an Irish wake for the two Irishmen,” hoisting glasses of Jameson whiskey to the troopers.  The governor later tweeted photographs of the gathering.

8/22/17

Gov. Pete Ricketts welcomed the latest class of Nebraska State Patrol troopers Friday with an admonition to remember that they represent Nebraska.  “By putting on that uniform and serving our citizens, you are a symbol of our state,” he said.  “It’s up to you now to represent our state to the highest levels of service and integrity.”  Ricketts joined Attorney General Doug Peterson in speaking to the 15 men and three women graduating from the patrol’s training academy.  The 18 graduates were members of the academy’s 58th basic recruit class.  They took the oath of office and received their badges and law enforcement certificates in a ceremony at the State Capitol.  It was the first such ceremony since the patrol came under fire this summer for falsifying internal investigations and ignoring reports of sexual harassment.  In July, Ricketts fired then-Col. Brad Rice from the patrol’s top job for possibly interfering with internal investigations and violating agency policy.  The Governor’s Office followed up this month with a report that substantiated the allegations of interference and concluded that patrol administrators had ignored complaints from a female trooper about a highly questionable medical exam she underwent as a recruit.  At Friday’s graduation ceremony, Ricketts made reference to the problems that have surfaced in the patrol.  “We know the State Patrol has had some challenges,” the governor told the new troopers.  But he expressed confidence that the patrol will overcome its challenges and be a better agency in the future.  “I know that because I know the quality of the men and women” in the patrol, Ricketts said.  Peterson, while not directly referencing the patrol’s problems, warned recruits that one of their biggest challenges will be learning how to deal with adrenaline.  That hormone is released in times of stress and danger.  He said he has seen the effects of adrenaline in videos of encounters between law enforcement and citizens.  “I have seen great officers lose their judgment because adrenaline overtook that judgment,” Peterson said.  He also told the group that being a State Patrol trooper requires courage, wisdom and great integrity.  He advised them never to compromise on integrity.

8/21/17

8/18/17

Michigan State Police have started to increase enforcement on the Mackinac Bridge due to distracted drivers taking photos and videos while crossing the bridge.  Troopers from the St. Ignace State Police Post have recently increased specific patrols of the Mackinac Bridge to target distracted and careless drivers.  State Police say there has been a steady increase of videos found on internet sites showing drivers taking photos, filming video and doing many other activities other than focusing on controlling their vehicles.  A recent focused enforcement detail resulted in several drivers contacted and educated on the dangers of distracted and careless driving.  Troopers say these poor driving habitats are particularly dangerous on the bridge during construction season. Troopers will continue with focused enforcement of distracted and careless driving on the Mackinac Bridge and will take appropriate enforcement action to discourage these behaviors.  Troopers would like to remind the public that the law prohibits drivers from operating their vehicles in a careless or negligent manner likely to endanger any person or property.  This would include a driver taking photographs or video while traversing the bridge.  Additionally, Michigan law prohibits a driver from reading, manually typing, or sending a text message while driving.

 8/18/17

The lip-syncing Indiana State Troopers have returned to the internet with a new viral hit.  Video of the four cops rocking out to Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” from their golf cart while patrolling the Indiana State Fair emerged this week, a long-awaited reprise of last year's viral performance.  Of course, their fans were already expecting a Part 2 after the team lip-synced to the Grease hit “Summer Nights” during the same state fair last year.  “We weren’t going to do any videos this year, but everybody seemed to want us to do it so we decided to throw one together,” Trooper Jonathon Amburgey told InsideEdition.com.  He said it didn’t take long for his group, consisting of troopers Brent Lemberg, Dustin Rutledge and Jon Cole, to pick a song.  “We felt like it fit perfectly since we’re all from different parts of the state,” Amburgey said.  Although it took a while to for the four of them to get it perfectly, Amburgey explained it wasn’t much different than their daily routine.  “We listen to Pandora and drive around and patrol,” he said. “Every day, it’s a different genre.”

8/17/17

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana on Sunday in Starr County.  Responding to a request for assistance by U.S. Border Patrol at approximately 9:50 p.m. regarding possible drug trafficking activity, Texas Rangers and a DPS Criminal Investigations Division Agent responded to the area of Blanca Road in Rio Grande City.  The driver of the 1994 Jeep Laredo abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, but was apprehended by DPS.  A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed 30 bundles of Marijuana, totaling 343 pounds, worth an estimated over $2 million, in the rear cargo area.

8/16/17

Congratulations! to the Georgia State Patrol for being voted the 2017 America’s Best Looking Cruiser.

This is the second year back to back that the Georgia State Patrol has received the honors and will be the

cruiser featured on the cover of the “2018 America’s Best Looking Cruiser Calendar”.

The contest received almost 300,000 “likes” and reached 2.2 million people.  Thank you to everyone who participated to make this year’s contest a success.

The 2017 top 13 finalists are listed below.

1st           Georgia State Patrol

2nd         West Virginia State Police

3rd          Minnesota State Patrol

4^th           Tennessee Highway Patrol

5^th           North Carolina State Highway Patrol

6^th           Alabama Law Enforcement Agency

7^th           Kentucky State Police

8^th           Oregon State Police

9^th           Delaware State Police

10^th         Massachusetts State Police

11^th         Ohio State Highway Patrol

12^th         Michigan State Police

13^th         Pennsylvania State Police

The 2018 Calendars will be available to purchase at www.statetroopers.org beginning October 1, 2017.

Watch for the announcement on the AAST Facebook page.

Net proceeds of the calendar sales will benefit the American Association of State Troopers Foundation that provides educational scholarship to dependents of member troopers.

Trooper Pilot Berke Bates and Lieutenant Pilot Jay Cullen were killed when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed into a wooded area in a residential neighborhood on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, Virginia, at approximately 6:30 pm.  They were in the area to monitor civil unrest that was occurring in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a large protest.  The helicopter had just taken off to monitor the Virginia governor's motorcade after he arrived in the area to assess the situation.  The helicopter experienced some sort of issue before crashing into the trees and becoming engulfed in flames.  Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen were killed in the crash.

Trooper Bates had served with the Virginia State Police for 13 years and was assigned to the Aviation Unit.  He had previously served with the Florida Highway Patrol for six years.  He is survived by his wife and his twin son and daughter. He was killed the day before his 41st birthday.

Lieutenant Cullen had served with the Virginia State Police for 23 years and was assigned as the commander of the Aviation Unit. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

8/14/17

The Kentucky State Police Academy presented diplomas to 41 new troopers at ceremonies held in Frankfort Friday.  Their addition to the force brings the agency’s strength to a total of 866 troopers serving the citizens of the Commonwealth.  KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders said the addition of these newly-graduated troopers will help with the current strength, but does not come close to resolving the agency’s shortage of personnel.  “Like other police agencies, we have been challenged with maintaining our strength of active officers in light of retirements and attrition,” Sanders said.  “In 2000, the agency manpower was more than 1,000.  Yet, we are doing more today with fewer personnel and resources than we had back then.  To add to this dilemma, we are servicing a higher population while seeing new crime that we didn’t have in the past such as human trafficking, electronic sexual exploitation of children and the potential threat of terrorism.”  Sanders went on to say that “the role of law enforcement has developed exponentially to meet the needs of an ever-changing society, and KSP is a significantly more specialized agency compared to the past. With more troopers working in specialized capacities that means fewer troopers available to respond to calls for service.”  The new troopers are part of the agency’s 95th cadet class, which was the agency’s fourth Law Enforcement Accelerated Program (LEAP), a condensed course for current officers who have two years of Kentucky Police Officer Professional Standards (POPS) law enforcement experience.  They reported for duty on May 21, 2016 in a class that consisted of 63 cadets.  Twenty-two resigned during the program.  The training included more than 500 hours of classroom and field study in subjects such as constitutional law, juvenile and traffic law, use of force, weapons training, defensive tactics, first aid, high speed vehicle pursuit, criminal investigations, computer literacy, hostage negotiations, evidence collection, radio procedures, search and seizure, crash investigation, drug identification, traffic control, crowd control, armed robbery response, land navigation, electronic crimes, sex crimes, hate crimes, domestic violence, bomb threats and hazardous materials.

8/14/17

The North Dakota Highway Patrol arrested a California man Monday after finding 183 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop.  The man was headed eastbound on I-94 between Mandan and Bismarck.  He was pulled over for minor traffic violations in a construction zone.  The trooper detected a strong marijuana smell and the driver, 71-year-old Harold Miller, admitted to having marijuana in the vehicle.  Miller was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.  The North Dakota Highway Patrol says the street value of the marijuana is $700,000 and is one of their largest drug busts.

8/11/17

Before coming to Knoxville for a benefit, actor Channing Tatum made a stop in Harlan, Kentucky.  Tatum visited Kentucky State Troopers to learn about the “Shop with a Trooper” project and other initiatives.  The star will be in Knoxville Wednesday for the screening of his upcoming movie “Logan Lucky” at the Regal Cinemas Pinnacle 18.  The screening will benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee.

8/10/17

Planning a road trip for this month’s big eclipse?  Be prepared for traffic, and for a heavy law enforcement presence.  “Any of those major thoroughfares or major routes, we will be monitoring them on a 24/7 basis the weekend before and day of the eclipse,” said Lance Cpl. Matt Southern.  The exact number of state troopers stationed between Beaufort County and Charleston along I-95 or U.S. 17 could not be provided, but additional manpower from South Carolina Highway Patrol headquarters and State Transport Police is being added across the Palmetto State.  The State recently reported that 160 extra state troopers will be stationed along the I-26 corridor between Columbia and Charleston during the eclipse. While the major roads leading into the path of the eclipse from Beaufort County will certainly have significant monitoring from the Highway Patrol, there is a reason more northern cities and roads are receiving special attention.  “The path of the eclipse goes from Greenville into Columbia and then down into Charleston, so that is why there is such a major focus there,” said Southern.  Planning for the eclipse began last year for the Highway Patrol, which has partnered with the state’s Emergency Management Division and Department of Transportation to prepare for the eclipse, and Southern feels confident that together they are ready to handle the additional traffic burden it will bring on.  “This is not a natural disaster,” said Southern.  “We plan all the time for natural disasters, hurricanes and things where there’s a lot of traffic.  We know the exact timetable on the eclipse, so we’re able to put our resources in place ahead of it and be ready on an exact timetable.”  Anywhere between a half million and 2 million people are expected to travel to South Carolina for the eclipse, which will have a major impact on roads throughout the state.  The South Carolina Department of Transportation is planning to suspend lane closures the weekend of the eclipse, and the Emergency Management Division has formulated a readiness plan.  “Be prepared for a lot of people,” said Derrec Becker, public information officer with SCEMD.  “Go ahead and make sure your car is filled up with gas.  Go ahead and buy groceries.  Give yourself extra time to get where you need to go, and prepare for long lines.”  Rob Perry, state traffic management engineer for the South Carolina Department of Transportation predicts traffic on par with the 4th of July weekend, perhaps worse.  Traffic issues will be exacerbated by the fact that unlike other high traffic events which are localized to certain cities or tourist destinations, this month’s eclipse will traverse the entire state.  It should be a magical experience, but Southern stressed the importance of readiness.  “The one thing we’re asking the public is to be prepared,” said Southern.  “If you have no desire to participate in the eclipse, the best thing you can do is stay off the roads. That will really help us.  If you have to get out in traffic give yourself ample time to get from Point A to Point B and expect traffic not just on the day of the eclipse but the days leading up to it.”

To watch video, go to http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article165207942.html.

8/9/17

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw was joined by Texas State Representative Mark Keough as the department commissioned 48 men and women as the state’s newest Highway Patrol Troopers.  This 11-week advanced recruit school was specifically designed for current and eligible law enforcement officers to train to become troopers.  This school provided officers an accelerated path to becoming a Trooper, versus the standard course that spans more than 20 weeks.  The C-2017 class includes four women and six military veterans, and the graduates represented 39 different law enforcement agencies.   The troopers began the 11-week training academy in May.  Instruction included counter terrorism, traffic, and criminal law, arrest and control procedures, accident reconstruction, first aid and Spanish.  They also received training in the use of force, communication skills, firearms, driving, criminal interdiction, cultural diversity and physical fitness.  The new troopers will report to duty stations across Texas in the coming weeks and spend the first six months in on-the-job training.

8/9/17

Alabamians can expect to see additional troopers on the roadways thanks to Gov. Kay Ivey.  Ivey has awarded grants totaling $3.5 million to support law enforcement efforts.  According to the Alabama Department of Law Enforcement Cpl. Tracy Nelson, the agency will utilize the funds by having every available trooper on Alabama roadways. “The funds will allow us to have extra funding available for overtime,” Nelson said.  “With funding available for overtime we can increase patrol and safety-checkpoint locations across the state.”  Ivey has indicated the purpose of the grant money is to make Alabama roads safer by preventing injuries and fatalities.  “At this point our fatality rate has increased by 10 from this time last year,” said Trooper Kevin Cook.  “We all have concern in this number.  Going at this rate 2017 will be more deadly than 2016 and records show 2016 was one of the deadliest years in Alabama’s history.”  Gov. Ivey said in a written release that drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired, or disobey traffic laws, present a danger to every motorist on the road.  “The only way we can change a driver’s behavior is to be visible,” Cook said.  “The more troopers we have on the roadways the more we can target speeding, driving while under the influence and seat belt violations.  Visibility, visibility is the only way we can make our roadways safer.”  A portion of the funds received will also go toward the “Click It or Ticket” program and the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” program.  “The time frame for the ‘Click It or Ticket’ program will wrap up soon,” Cook said.  “Once that program wraps up for 2017, we will start the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ program.  This program is scheduled to run through September 3.  This program not only targets driving while under the influence on the roadways, but also on Alabama’s waterways.”

8/8/17