The Mississippi Highway Patrol is looking for candidates to participate in Cadet Class 66.

Unlike previous cadet classes, applicants for this class will need to have at least two years of law enforcement experience and hold an accredited law enforcement academy certificate.

MHP Public Affairs Officer Cal Robertson said that by limiting the class to those with prior law enforcement experience the class will be much shorter than previous versions, shortening the class time from 23 weeks to about 12 weeks.

The class will be shorter because most of the things the cadets will need to know has been covered during their prior law enforcement experience and time in the academy, such as firearms training, accident reconstruction, completing reports and pursuit driving.

While there will be refresher courses on some of those aspects of law enforcement, Robertson said this first of its kind course will focus on what troopers do, conduct crash investigations.

“It will be a faster turnaround to get boots on the ground,” Robertson said.

With more than 77,000 miles of public roadway in the state of Mississippi, Robertson said there are supposed to be 650 troopers working those streets statewide. This class will help MHP get closer to that number.

The focus will be on crash investigations because while troopers do have authority over every road in the state, most of their work takes place on highways and interstates, where speed limits are much higher. Robertson said training to be a trooper is more rigorous than other law enforcement academies because troopers are typically working farther away from backup most of the time, so they need to be prepared.

To apply, the applicant will need to show proof of U.S. citizenship, a birth certificate, transcripts of prior law enforcement experience and if they have prior military experience it could count as credit toward their retirement.

Applicants should also be at least 21 years of age, have a diploma or GED and be of good moral character.

The deadline to apply for Cadet Class 66 is Jan. 31, 2022.

The class is expected to begin in May of this year, and conclude in August. It will be held at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy in Pearl.

Robertson said that while he expects most applicants will be from Mississippi, he encourages anyone with law enforcement experience in other states looking for a move to apply.

“It’s a great job, it’s got a big office,” Robertson said.

Applications can be obtained at troop substations across the state of Mississippi. Troop K’s substation is located at 16741 Highway 67, Biloxi.