Patrol to offer first Accelerated Academy for 114th recruit class

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces it will offer its first 15-week accelerated academy to law enforcement professionals interested in becoming a trooper.

This accelerated training is the Patrol’s newest approach to hire the most qualified applicants for the position of trooper.

To be eligible, candidates must possess an active Missouri Class A POST license in good standing and have served a minimum of three consecutive years as a full-time Missouri POST-commissioned police officer in a traffic, patrol, or investigations capacity.

Successful applicants will know their assignment prior to entering training as members of the 114th Recruit Class and be eligible to receive college credit upon graduation. Military police and out-of-state law enforcement may also be eligible for the accelerated program.

All candidates must successfully complete the selection process for troopers to enter the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy. The selection process for potential troopers has not changed and includes a written examination, a physical fitness for duty assessment, polygraph examination, background investigation, and oral interview board. Written and physical examinations take place in each troop area across the state.

After a conditional offer of employment, the applicant must successfully complete a medical examination (includes vision and hearing), psychological examination, a psychological interview, drug screening, and final applicant review.

The 114th Recruit Class will report to the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy on January 18, 2022. The deadline to apply is Sept. 18.

Interested persons can learn more about the first-ever Missouri State Highway Patrol Accelerated Academy by contacting a Patrol recruiter at telephone number 1-800-796-7000, or may apply online at https://statepatrol.dps.mo.gov/pages/becomeatrooper then select “apply now.”