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Saturday, April 29, 2006
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Troopers in training State Patrol cadets play bingo with senior citizens as part of community service project Staff Writer
LITTLE FALLS Cadets at the State Patrol trooper candidate school at Camp Ripley have spent the past 11 weeks in intensive training to learn everything a trooper must know, from how to handle a firearm to how to conduct a traffic stop.
Wednesday, they learned about bingo.
The bingo game, enjoyed by residents of St. Otto's Care Center in Little Falls, was a community service project put on by the cadets. Community service is a yearly part of their training. In past years they've bagged groceries, raked lawns and painted houses. Each year cadets also participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program.
We don't get involved a lot on the road and we like to send the message that people are still important to us, said Trooper Joe Dwyer, an instructor at the academy. We like to get involved in the community.
Cadets called the bingo numbers, helped residents check their cards and delivered the prizes, which were donated by the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association. Not a bad way to spend a night, said Karla Schirmers, a trooper candidate from Little Falls.
It's refreshing just to get out, smile and interact with people, Schirmers said. It's definitely a different pace than being in the dorm rooms at Camp Ripley.
Dwyer said the hour cadets spent at St. Otto's Care Center was probably the best community service program they've ever participated in.
During their 16 weeks at Camp Ripley, cadets train from 5:30 a.m.-10:15 p.m. Sundays through Fridays. After their initiation they practice with firearms, learn how to conduct accident investigations, learn traffic laws, experience chemical agents such as Mace, learn defensive tactics and driving techniques. There also is classroom work and physical training. Dwyer said the academy is a para-military residential academy.
It's pretty intense training and I totally believe in the training, Dwyer said. It's my feeling that we're the best trained in the state.
About the cadets
Number of cadets: 6, the smallest in the history of the academy.
Who they are: Renee Adrian of St. Paul, Aimee Colegrove of Minneapolis, Brian Erola of Superior, Wis., Chad Nigg of Cold Spring, Karla Schirmers of Little Falls and William Tjon of Moorhead.
Where they train: Camp Ripley.
Weeks of training: 16.
Graduation date: June 2 at Camp Ripley.
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Schirmers said through 11 weeks the pace has yet to slow down, but she and the other cadets have adjusted to the routine.
The 2006 class of trooper candidates is the smallest in the history of the academy with just six cadets, said State Patrol Lt. Jeff Gladfelter, who's in charge of the academy and hiring process.
The class size was reduced this year because of state budget reductions, he said.
Right now the state is down 57 troopers, and (the cadets) are filling six of those spots. We're definitely in need of troopers on the road, Gladfelter said. But they're a good group, a close group.
Unlike in past years when the academy was canceled, Gladfelter said it has been a goal of Col. Mark Dunaski, chief of the State Patrol, to every year have a class going through the academy. Gladfelter said it is hoped that the 2007 class will be closer to normal in size, with 15 to 20 cadets in training.
In two weeks the cadets will be assigned to State Patrol districts throughout the state, where they'll spend 12 weeks of field training with experienced State Patrol troopers. It's a chance for the cadets to apply the skills they learned at the academy in an uncontrolled environment. But even after that, the education continues, Gladfelter said.
It's actually a 30-year process. You never quit learning, Gladfelter said with a laugh.
MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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