(AREA) — Sixty prospective troopers reported to the Michigan State Police Training Academy in Lansing for the first day of the 129th Trooper Recruit School Sunday. For the next 22 weeks, between wake-up at 5 a.m. and lights-out at 10 p.m., the recruits will receive training in firearms, water safety, defensive tactics, patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, first aid, criminal law, crime scene processing and precision driving. Two Tuscola County residents are training at the school, looking to graduate on August 26. In order to be selected to attend the 129th Trooper Recruit School, recruits had to pass a stringent selection process that included a physical fitness test, background investigation and hiring interview. Since 2011, with the support of Governor Snyder and the Legislature, the Michigan State Police has hired 492 state troopers, bringing the total number of at-post troopers statewide to 982.
