Cadets from Centralia and Tenino were among the 28 graduates of the 114th Trooper Basic Training Class who were sworn in as Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers on Wednesday.
The cadets completed their training during the WSP’s Centennial Year Celebration. Graduates could reportedly be heard chanting “Never defeated, 100 completed” at their graduation ceremony, held at the WSP Academy on June 30.
“The 28 cadets graduating today endured a rigorous application process, extensive background investigation and received the best training, unmatched anywhere else in the nation,” said WSP Chief John Batiste. “Today, they will join the ranks of Washington’s finest, as troopers of the Washington State Patrol.”
Three cadets from the Lewis County area were sworn in as state troopers: Trooper Chase L. Burrows, of Centralia, will be stationed in Tacoma; Trooper Kyle C. Cassel, of Centralia, will be stationed in Tacoma; and Trooper Dustin S. Miloff, of Tenino, will be stationed in Tacoma.
According to WSP, less than 6% of those who apply to join the state patrol complete the 1,400 hours of rigorous training and pass all the background checks required to make it to graduation day.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, several cadets received awards in recognition of their dedication to specific skills including collision investigation and physical fitness.
In addition, fallen Trooper Justin R. Schaffer’s wife, Sandra Schaffer, presented the Core Values Award to Trooper Travis R. Hullinger, of Pasco, in Schaffer’s honor.
The Core Values Award honors the most recent state patrol employee to give their life in the service to the citizens of the state of Washington, and the recipient is determined by an anonymous vote of the cadet’s classmates and presented to the trooper cadet who most exemplifies the training division core values.
Schaffer was struck and killed by a fleeing motorist in March of 2020 while attempting to deploy spike strips on Interstate 5 in Chehalis.
