Today, Superintendent Colonel Marcus L. Brown welcomes seventy new troopers to the ranks of the Maryland State Police at the 142nd Academy Class graduation in Sykesville, Maryland.

Nineteen of the seventy graduates are the sons, daughters, or relatives of police officers, including nine who are related to a member of the Maryland State Police. Among the others who took the oath today, were six military veterans and Trooper Cory Jensen, the elected president of Class 142 and a former Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers.

All of the candidates have endured 26 weeks of rigorous academic and physical training in the Maryland State Police Academy. During their six months of training, the class received several accolades for their contributions to the community.

One of the most notable accomplishments of the 142nd Academy Class is their participation in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure this past October. As part of the overall Maryland State Police effort that day, they raised over $14,000 for cancer research, while running cadence for the entire length of the race. The Maryland State Police team was the second largest group participating and the third largest fundraiser that day.

One of those state troopers who ran with the class in the Race for the Cure was First Sergeant Jay Robinson. First Sergeant Robinson was a member of Class 105. At eighteen-months old, his son, Colby, was present at his father’s graduation, dressed in a specially made uniform designed to look like a State Trooper. Twenty years later, Colby’s dream of becoming a Maryland State Trooper was fulfilled as he graduated today with Class 142.

Although seventy new troopers marched across the stage to accept their diploma and their new gold badge from Colonel Brown for the first time, one walked the stage for the second time. In 2011, Trooper Ronald Cullison, III, graduated from Winters Mill High School. He is the son of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Cullison, Jr., Chief of the Maryland State Police Criminal Investigation Bureau. Seven other Maryland State Police legacies walked the stage today and they include:

Trooper Jonathan Deater (Father-Sgt. James Deater), Trooper Matthew Dull (Cousin-Sgt. Mitchell Staily), Trooper Ethan Hundertmark (Father-Retired Sgt. Robert Hundertmark), Trooper Cory Jensen (Father-Retired Special Agent Secret Service, Brother-TFC Andrew Jensen), Trooper Samuel Morris (Father–Retired Sgt. Pat Morris), Trooper Quincy Pinkney (Cousin–Trooper Tyrel Flowers-Jackson) and Trooper Elizabeth Varesko (Father-Retired Sgt. Gary Vare).

Hundreds of family members, friends, and their new fellow troopers witnessed the graduation of the 142nd Trooper Candidate Class and the welcome speech provided by Colonel Marcus Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. “You have joined a police department that takes great pride in our legacy and tradition. We guard that legacy of selfless service and police professionalism with great care,” said Colonel Brown. “We work hard to instill our values and traditions in those who join this department because we want this legacy to continue.”

The troopers will enjoy a few well-deserved days off before reporting to their assignments at barracks throughout Maryland by the first of the year. They will be assigned to a field training trooper and begin another eight weeks of closely supervised instruction and training before being allowed to patrol alone.