Illinois State Police graduates largest class in 25 years

Illinois State Police this month graduated the largest cadet class in the past 25 years. ​

ISP welcomed 95 new troopers from Cadet Class 150 at a graduation ceremony July 11 at the Westside Christian Church in Springfield.

The new troopers will report to all 10 ISP districts across the state, according to a news release from ISP. ​

Cadet Class 150 marks the 22nd cadet class graduation under Gov. JB Pritzker and ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. ​Since 2019, 692 troopers have joined the ranks of the ISP, according to the release.

“It’s a privilege to swear in the largest ISP cadet class in the past 25 years,” Kelly said in the release. “Law enforcement agencies across the country can struggle to hire new officers, but we continue to rise above that challenge because of our values of integrity, service and pride to now commission the largest class so far in the 21st century.”

Cadet Class 150 was a combination of a traditional class and a lateral entry class. ​The traditional class included 43 cadets who completed a 29-week program, according to the release. ​

The lateral class consisted of 52 cadets who completed the 12-week program designed for certified police officers who previously graduated from an accredited law enforcement academy and had at least two years of experience while employed as a full-time officer, according to the release. ​ ​

Both programs consist of physical and classroom instruction, which includes training in cultural diversity, procedural justice, domestic violence, critical incident response, de-escalation tactics, firearms, first responder certification, control and arrest tactics, Illinois vehicle code, criminal law, motor carrier safety, juvenile law and more, according to the release.

In addition to either the 29-week or 12-week academy training, cadets are required to participate in one-on-one mentoring with field training officers as part of a 14-week field-training program, expanding their total training to either 42 or 25 weeks, according to the release. ​

Troopers who complete the field-training program advance to solo-patrol status. ​ ​

The new officers are assigned to the following areas of the state and will immediately begin their patrol duties:

• Troop 1 Pecatonica/Sterling, two troopers
• Troop 2 La Salle/Moline, four troopers
• Troop 3 Chicago, 25 troopers
• Troop 4 Macomb/Metamora, nine troopers
• Troop 5 Pontiac/Ashkum, two troopers
• Troop 6 Springfield/Pittsfield, one trooper
• Troop 7 Pesotum, six troopers
• Troop 8 Collinsville, 33 troopers
• Troop 9 Effingham/Carmi, 11 troopers
• Troop 10 DuQuoin/Ullin, two troopers

New troopers earn about $90,000 in compensation upon graduation from the Illinois State Police Academy, according to ISP. ​