REISTERSTOWN, MD—Governor Wes Moore and Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. welcomed the largest Maryland State Police Academy graduating class in five years during a ceremony Friday. The 159th Academy Class completed 27 weeks of rigorous training before being sworn in at LifePoint Church.
In his remarks, Moore thanked the graduates and their families, noting the new troopers are “part of the proud tradition of service that defines our state.”
The new class includes individuals with diverse backgrounds. Three graduates have prior military experience, seven are paramedics, and 12 were Maryland State Police cadets. Twenty-one of the recruits hold college degrees, while 29 are enrolled in a concurrent associate’s degree program with Frederick Community College.
Colonel Butler praised the graduates for demonstrating the “skill, integrity, and perseverance” required to protect Maryland’s citizens. He said they have “endured one of the most challenging police academies in the nation.”
Following graduation, each trooper will undergo an additional eight weeks of field training with an experienced trooper before they are able to patrol alone.
The Maryland State Police is expanding its presence with a new 30,000-square-foot barrack in Berlin on the Eastern Shore, scheduled to open next month. The department is also working with local jurisdictions through the Maryland Gun Center to remove illegal firearms. The center recently reported a more than 15% increase in calls and emails compared to the same time last year.
Photo via the Maryland Governor’s Office
