New OHP Class Increases Female Ranks By Third

Forty new troopers will graduate in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy's 61st class, including five women and eight military veterans, OHP announced Wednesday. The troopers will be commissioned at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Memorial Road Church of Christ, 221 East Memorial Road in Edmond.

The five women will increase OHP's female ranks by 33 percent - giving the force an all-time high of 20.

"These men and women have shown that they have what it takes to be a part of our organization and we welcome them to our family," said OHP Chief, Colonel Kerry Pettingill.

Graduates range in age from 23 to 35, according to a news release. In addition to the military veterans, they come to the Patrol with job experiences ranging from pipe fitting to landscaping.

The new graduates will begin three months of field training with a senior trooper.

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