By Connecticut State Police.
(May 19, 2023) – The Connecticut State Police graduated 35 new State Troopers on May 18, 2023, all members of the 133rd Training Troop.
James C. Rovella, Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and Colonel Stavros Mellekas, Commander of the State Police, congratulated the graduating class during a ceremony held in Welte Auditorium the Central Connecticut State University. Governor Ned Lamont also addressed the graduates.
The 133rd Training Troop entered the Connecticut State Police Training Academy on November 4, 2022, with classes starting in a blended learning format. On December 5, 2022, the class began the residential portion of the Academy, Monday through Friday, and completed the remaining 24 weeks of training. In total, the class completed 28 weeks and more than 1,400 hours of training both online and in person. In addition to classwork, the recruits spend many hours on physical conditioning, driving, firearms training, active shooter response, experiential training and other specialized areas of police work.
The 35 members of this class includes 27 men and 8 women. Members of the 133rd Training Troop have diverse backgrounds, training and experience. Some are former municipal police officers or correction officers; some have been trained as firefighters and EMTs and some have military backgrounds. The youngest member of the class is 21 years old and the oldest is 39 years old.
Among the 35 graduates:
· 8 have military experience
· 4 have prior law enforcement experience
· 23 hold Bachelor’s Degrees
· 1 holds an advanced degree
At their graduation Thursday, the newest Troopers were sworn in by Colonel Mellekas and assigned to one of 11 State Police troops located throughout Connecticut. The graduating Troopers will be assigned as follows:
Troop A, Southbury – 2 new Troopers
Troop B, North Canaan – 1 new Trooper
Troop C, Tolland – 6 new Troopers
Troop D, Danielson – 4 new Troopers
Troop E, Montville – 5 new Troopers
Troop F, Westbrook – 1 new Trooper
Troop G, Bridgeport – 3 new Troopers
Troop H, Hartford – 5 new Troopers
Troop I, Bethany – 4 new Troopers
Troop K, Colchester – 3 new Troopers
Troop L, Litchfield – 1 new Trooper
The following Troopers graduated on May 18, 2023:
Matthew Ezzo
Chana Fanning Murphy
Mitchell Montano
Rickey Deprey III
Matthew Ormsby
Priscilla Polci
Brian Sappleton
Corey Brennan
Kyle Tiersch
Ty Fabian
Kyle Faulise
Zachary Thetreault
John Zlotnick
Marshall Alberino
Jarod Griffin
Joel DeCaprio
Andrew Schimanski
Tyler Stimson
Lucas Oliver
Joseph Bairaktaris
Christopher Boehmer
Eliana Builes
Photo courtesy of CSP
