AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Training is complete for the first Texas Department of Public Safety trooper class taking part in courses that can put the law officers on the street in just eight weeks.
The first class of 29 troopers, in the advanced recruit school, graduated Friday in Austin. All had been police officers prior to DPS training.
DPS in February announced the agency had 400 vacancies and was offering experienced law officers a chance to become troopers in just two months. Previously, experienced law officers had to join rookies to complete the regular training course that was nearly seven months long.
The eight-week trooper school, for current Texas and eligible out-of-state law officers, is a first in the 75-year history of the agency. ---
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