(LANSING) - Four Michiana men were among the graduates of Thursday's class of new Michigan State Police troopers.
The 150th Trooper Recruit School and 28th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School held their graduation ceremony Thursday in Lansing, with a graduating class of 61 state troopers and one motor carrier officer.
Three of the graduates have ties to Southwest Michigan. Kyle Buchanan of Sturgis, Nathaniel Schwartz of Centreville and Mitchell Wert of Union City passed the program. Buchanan and Wert will be assigned to the Marshall Post while Schwartz is going to be assigned to the Niles Post.
In addition, Mark Wells of Howe, Indiana also passed the class and has been assigned to the Marshall Post.
During the ceremony, in Lansing, Col. James F. Grady II, Director of the Michigan State Police, administered the Oath of Office to the graduates.
The Trooper Recruit School and the Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School started on January 4 at the MSP Training Academy. Trooper recruits received training in patrol techniques, crime investigation and crime scene processing while the motor carrier recruits focused on training in commercial vehicle law and commercial vehicle inspection procedures. Both classes trained together in report writing, ethics, cultural diversity and implicit bias, decision making, leadership, first aid, criminal law, firearms, water safety, defensive tactics and precision driving.