Eleven Washington State Patrol troopers joined the Tacoma post after graduating from the agency's latest training classes Thursday, Sept. 10.

The new officers are part of a larger class of more than 60 troopers who completed the 122nd Trooper Basic Training Class and the 6th Trooper Lateral Training Class, according to WSP.

The graduation ceremony took place at the state Capitol Rotunda in Olympia.

The 11 troopers from the basic class assigned to Tacoma are Wayne Beck, Victor Gaspar, Justin Gribbon, Daniel Halterman, Isaac Morris, Rylee O'Connor, Shanaz Omar, Alexander Phan, Nathaniel Thomas, Jason Walthall and Silas Young. Jacob Keesler, a lateral trooper from the 6th Lateral Training Class, rounds out the dozen.

One earned a top academy honor.

Young received the Top Collision Investigation Award, which recognizes proficiency in crash-scene investigation, evidence gathering, report writing and mathematical computation. He was the only Tacoma-assigned graduate to take home an individual award.

WSP Chief John R. Batiste, himself a graduate of the 55th Basic Training Class, handed each new trooper a commission card at the ceremony.

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis administered the oath of office.

"Proudly represent yourselves, proudly represent that uniform that you wear, and know that we got your back," Batiste told the graduates.

Training by the numbers

The 122nd Basic Training Class completed more than 1,400 hours of instruction at the WSP Academy in Shelton.

Training included a two-month coaching trip, during which cadets rode alongside field training officers on real patrols.

The class tallied 10,064 driver contacts, 3,367 calls for service, 561 impaired drivers removed from Washington roads and 924 collision investigations during that stretch.

What's next

The 11 troopers have been assigned to the Tacoma post since the Sept. 10 graduation. WSP has not announced a public introduction event or provided current staffing totals for the post.