CALUMET — Three of 19 recent graduates of the Michigan State Police Trooper Recruit School have been assigned to the Calumet post, according to a May 27 release from Michigan State Police. This was the department’s first recruit school for licensed police officers.

The three troopers assigned to the Calumet Post are Trooper Daniel Perrault of L’Anse, Trooper Rachel Roose of Painesdale and Trooper Ben Ruohonen of Hancock.

The 141st Trooper Recruit School began on March 20 with 20 prospective troopers at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing. During an accelerated program designed to acknowledge their prior experience, recruits received training in patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, cultural diversity and implicit bias, decision making, leadership, first aid, criminal law, crime scene processing, firearms, water safety, defensive tactics and precision driving.

During the ceremony in Lansing, in which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was the keynote speaker, Col. Joe Gasper, director of the MSP, administered the oath of office to 19 individuals who begin their assignments at MSP posts across the state next week, the release says.

“I commend you on your admirable decision to serve in this noble profession,” said Whitmer, “and to continue contributing to our great state by joining the ranks of the Michigan State Police, one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the nation. Public service is a calling that comes with great responsibility. I recognize and appreciate the sacrifices our law enforcement officers make every day to keep us all safe in our homes and neighborhoods. As a former prosecutor, public safety is a core issue for me and I will keep working with the MSP to reduce crime and keep families safe.”

Gasper also spoke at the ceremony, saying: “We are honored to welcome our 19 newest troopers and know they will continue our tradition of delivering the best in public safety and community services. This class was the first of its kind for the Michigan State Police, created specifically to attract licensed police officers as law enforcement agencies across the country struggle to attract qualified candidates.”

Including the 19 graduates of the 141st Trooper Recruit School, there are approximately 1,200 troopers assigned statewide, and a total of 1,900 enlisted members in the MSP, said the release.

The announcement of the first-ever Trooper Recruit School for Licensed Police Officers came in an MSP release on July 8, 2021.

The 10-week recruit school, which is shorter than the current 26-week recruit school, recognizes the experience and value that prior law enforcement service brings to an agency and offers these applicants an accelerated training opportunity that rewards their experience.

“As we continue to improve and modernize our recruiting and selection processes,” Gasper said. “Holding a lateral entry recruit school for licensed police officers is a logical next step. Many other state police agencies across the country have similar successful programs and I’m pleased to offer this opportunity for officers here in our state.”

In addition to a shortened recruit school, modifications are also being made to the recruit school environment and curriculum to provide the recruits with more autonomy and decision-making authority to encourage important skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. In a deviation from past practice, the last few weeks of recruit school will incorporate an open-campus concept in which recruits will be allowed to leave the training academy and will not be required to stay overnight.

To be eligible, applicants must have at least two years of continuous experience as a Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards licensed officer in good standing. Applications will be processed as they are received so interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

The next recruit school, the 142nd Trooper Recruit School, is anticipated to begin on June 26 at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing. Recruits are expected to graduate on Nov. 10.

With hundreds of trooper vacancies due to continued attrition, the MSP is actively recruiting for future trooper recruit schools, including the 143rd Trooper Recruit School, slated to begin Jan. 15.

As Gasper said, lateral entry schools of this nature are not new, nor are they rare. An FBI law enforcement bulletin dated 1990 and published by the U.S. Department of Justice, was titled “Lateral Entry — A Move Toward the Future.” The bulletin stated, in part, that one of the keys to successful law enforcement recruitment will be the practice of a full-scale lateral entry program.

“Lateral entry is the ability of a police officer in one geographic location to enter employment in another area,” the bulletin explained, “with the officer’s salary at the new department based on experience, job knowledge and ability to do the job. The practice of lateral entry enhances recruiting, as it expands the pool of qualified personnel.”

The 1990 publication goes on to say that “lateral entry enhances competition and educational growth in providing new talent and ability, enabling departments to select personnel from among the best candidates, and fosters competitiveness and on-going skills development.”