6 Cadets join Louisiana State Police Troop D

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - 51 cadets have now joined the ranks of Louisana State Police after graduating last Friday.

After 23 weeks of intense training, the Cadet Class 99 has been assigned to troops across the state. 6 have been assigned to Troop D, which covers Southwest Louisiana.

The cadets’ class had their fair share of controversy - including an alleged cheating scandal and possible hazing investigation.

While we were not allowed to talk to the cadets, Trooper Derek Senegal says they are a welcome sight.

“We very much needed new troopers," Trooper Senegal said. “We have a lot of troopers who are older guys on the verge of retiring, in the process of retiring so we need to go ahead and replenish those guys.”

Senegal says while some have prior law enforcement experience, all 6 will undergo a 10 to 14-week field training program while being supervised by a veteran trooper.

“The field training officers are going to be paired up with some of the other guys that have been here a while," Trooper Senegal said. "They will learn how Louisiana State Police work down here, are going to be evaluated, going through the phases and evaluate each phase to see if they can move on to the next one. They are going to start on the road as new road Troopers and if they want to move or progress their careers from there, whether it’s detectives, gaming, later on, they can do so.”

According to Trooper Senegal, all the cadets joining Troop D are from Southwest Louisiana.

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