INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 84th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy class has graduated. The ceremony happened this evening. This academy saw 28 graduates. The recruits spent 24 weeks in training. That’s more than 1,000 hours. Areas of training include criminal and traffic law, de-escalation tactics, and firearms.

“A flood of emotions for every one of those troopers,” said Indiana State Police superintendent Doug Carter. “Every one of them. Such an important moment in time. It’s their moment in the history of us. Ultimately, the history of our state. I’ve given two of those badges to troopers who have died in the line of duty in that same place. So, all that comes flooding back to me, but it’s a really big moment. They’ve worked really hard and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Each graduate will be assigned to one of 14 state police posts across Indiana. They will spend the next three months doing field training there before going on solo patrols.