VIRGINIA STATE POLICE GRADUATES 139th GENERATION OF NEW STATE TROOPERS

RICHMOND – On Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, the Commonwealth graduated its 139^th generation of Virginia State Troopers. The 31 new state troopers were presented their diplomas during commencement exercises at the State Police Training Academy located in Chesterfield County.

“We are extremely proud of these graduates as they begin their career of public safety service with the Virginia State Police,” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “For 91 years, the Virginia State Police has dedicated itself to serving and protecting all those living, working and traveling through the Commonwealth of Virginia. We welcome these new state troopers and are confident in their ability to fulfill the high standards set forth by our mission and values.”

The new troopers have received more than 1,300 hours of classroom and field instruction in more than 100 different subjects, including de-escalation techniques, strategies to assist people in mental health crisis, ethics and leadership, fair and impartial policing, constitutional law, emergency medical trauma care, and public and community relations. The members of the 139^th Basic Session began their 28 weeks of academic, physical and practical training at the Academy Feb. 27, 2023.

The graduates of the 139^th Basic Session are from every corner of the Commonwealth, as well as Arkansas, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saipan.

Upon graduation, the new troopers will report to their individual duty assignments across Virginia the week of Sept. 18, 2023. For their final phase of training, each trooper will spend an additional six weeks paired up with a Field Training Officer learning his or her new patrol area.

Name	Hometown	Assignment
Kaser Acosta	Dominican Republic	Springfield
Richard France Adams	Spotsylvania	Fairfax
Caleb Altis	Christiansburg	Springfield
Frantzdy Bertrand	Haiti	Fairfax County
Phillip Isaiah Bishop	Kingsport, Tenn.	Hanover/Henrico
Michael James Blevins	Culpeper	Stafford County
Brandesha Lynn Brown	Cedar Bluff	Henrico County
Emily Elizabeth Brownell	White Creek, N.Y.	Hanover/Henrico
Christopher David Bryan	Columbus, Ohio	Norfolk/Virginia Beach
Matthew Crawford Byram	Stafford	Springfield
Bryan Mykel Carr	Williamsburg	James City County
Erica Choi	Saipan	Springfield
Jefferson P. Cullison	Gloucester	Hampton/Newport News
Zakary Thomas Dickerson	Plano, Texas	Sussex County
Gabriel Zachary Fletcher	Scott County	Norfolk/Virginia Beach
Junior Miguel Flores Castaneda	Martinsville	Henry County
Russell Bennett Franklin, III	Charlotte County	Roanoke
Caleb Evan Holland	Bryant, Ark.	Portsmouth/Suffolk/Chesapeake
James Lloyd Lakey, II	Strasburg	Frederick County
Justin M. Lowe	Shenandoah	Augusta County
Erich Ryan Mann	Covington	Roanoke
Brandon Scott Middleton	Ashburn	Fairfax County
Henry McCord Morrison	South Boston	Hanover/Henrico
William Alexander Mullins	Richmond	Chesterfield County
Trevor Chance Plecker	Bath County	Louisa County
Franklin Curtis Pulley, III	Suffolk	Portsmouth/Suffolk/Chesapeake
Logan Edward Shenk	Staunton	Roanoke
Parker Elliott Shenk	Staunton	Roanoke
Sarah Elizabeth Stewart	Eustis, Fla.	Campbell County
Briggs Underwood	Bedford	Accomack County
Steven Jacob Winn	Bucktown, Penn.	Henrico County

Virginia State Police is currently hiring for trooper positions in future Academy classes. To apply online and/or learn more about our hiring bonus, benefits, and career opportunities, go to www.vatrooper.com.  

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139^th Basic Session Motto: “Hold the line, 139.”