The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is proud to announce that eleven (11) cadets are graduating from the 69th Academy on Thursday, July 21.
The 69th Academy was OHP’s first ever “bridge” academy, meaning all cadets were already full-time CLEET certified law enforcement officers with at least two years of experience. The eleven graduates come from different backgrounds in law enforcement, ranging from police departments, sheriff’s departments, and probation and parole.
“OHP has been facing an imminent shortage of troopers, partly due to the large number of them retiring,” said OHP Chief Pat Mays. “The bridge academy was a creative way to recruit for the agency. We plan to have more bridge academies in the near future and hope to attract even more current law enforcement with our new education requirements.”
State statute dictates that OHP cadets enter the academy with 62 completed semester hours of college. But a recent legislative change allows candidates with only 24 completed semester hours to apply for the academy and get the remaining 38 hours during the academy as part of the academy curriculum.
The 69th Academy began on April 21 and the cadets underwent 13 weeks of intense training that included traffic and criminal law, arrest procedures, accident reconstruction, first aid and Spanish. They also received training in use of force, communication skills and de-escalation tactics, firearms, driving, criminal interdiction and physical fitness.
The graduation ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 21 at the Oklahoma Judicial Center, 2100 N. Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The ceremony will also be live streamed on the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Facebook page for anyone interested in watching.
Graduating cadets next enter the “break-in” phase of their training. They will ride with another Trooper for thirteen (13) weeks before working the roads on their own. The eleven cadets are assigned to troops all across the state.
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