JEFFERSON CITY – Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces that six troopers will graduate from the Patrol’s Accelerated Law Enforcement Academy on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Patrol Academy’s gymnasium. The graduation ceremony will be live streamed on the Patrol’s Facebook page. The 119th Recruit Class reported to the Academy on January 2, 2024. The new troopers will report to duty in their assigned troops on April 29, 2024.
The Honorable Robin Ransom, Supreme Court of Missouri, will administer the Oath of Office to the new troopers. Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandra K. Karsten will provide the keynote address and Colonel Olson will also address the class. The Troop F Color Guard will present the colors and Trooper Samuel Crosson, Troop A, will sing the national anthem. Pastor Tim Smith, Aurora Springs Baptist Church, Eldon, MO, will provide the invocation and benediction.
Four class awards will be presented during the graduation ceremony. The recruits accumulate points toward graduation in the categories of physical fitness, firearms, and academics throughout their 15 weeks at the Academy. The person with the highest number of points in each category will earn the respective award.
The names, hometowns, and first assignments of members of the 119th Recruit Class are listed below:
Troop A
Trooper Samuel J. Crosson (Odessa, MO) ─ Zone 8, Lafayette County
Trooper Ryan T. McFatrich (Lexington, MO) ─ Zone 8, Lafayette County
Trooper Matthew T. Tucker (Harrisonville, MO) ─ Zone 11, Cass County
Troop D
Trooper Robert Watkins (Springfield, MO) ─ Zone 2, Greene County
Troop E
Trooper Tony L. Jones (Caruthersville, MO) ─ Zone 9, New Madrid/Pemiscot Counties
Trooper Trevor C. Sutton (Poplar Bluff, MO) ─ Zone 1, Butler/Ripley Counties