Durham Native Graduates From CT State Police Academy

DURHAM, CT — The Connecticut State Police on Thursday graduated 24 new State Troopers, and among them was a Durham native.

Riley Carey will be assigned to Troop H in Hartford, according to a news release from the CSP.

The new troopers were sworn in by Col. Daniel Loughman. Lt. Gov Susan Bysiewicz also attended the ceremony and addressed the graduates.

The 135th Training Troop entered the CSP Training Academy on Jan. 26, with classes starting in a blended learning format.

On Feb. 26, the class began the residential portion of the academy, Monday through Friday, and completed the remaining 24 weeks of training, the CSP said in a news release.

Overall, the class completed 28 weeks and more than 1,500 hours of training both online and in person.

Along with classwork, the recruits spent hours on physical conditioning, driving, firearms, active shooter response, experiential training and other areas of police work, the CSP said in a news release.

Of the 24 graduates, 19 are men and five are women, and all have diverse backgrounds, training and experiences as either former municipal police officers or correction officers, firefighters, EMTs or military members, according to the CSP.

The youngest graduate is 21, and the eldest is 40, the CSP noted.

The graduates, their hometowns and their troop assignments are as follows:

• Mark Aarons, Norwalk, Troop G
• Adam Baig, Rocky Hill, Troop H
• Kathleen Begley, Windsor, Troop B
• Austin Calamita, Bridgeport, Troop G
• Riley Carey, Durham, Troop H
• Jacob Cortigiano, Wolcott, Troop A
• Joseph Fusco, Brookfield, Troop L
• Gabriella Gandini, Groton, Troop E
• Sean Hayslip, Preston, Troop D
• Mason Hoover, Vernon, Troop C
• Nicholas Kelly, Portland, Troop H
• Ryan Lester, Mansfield, Troop D
• Nicholas Miranda, Coventry, Troop C
• Julian Nunez, Wethersfield, Troop K
• Matthew O'Neil, Bethlehem, Troop L
• Mike Park, Rocky Hill, Troop H
• Matthew Rade, Stamford, Troop G
• Jared Reed, East Hampton, Troop E
• Grace Seddon, Somers, Troop C
• Carlos Sifontes, Groton, Troop E
• Ashley Sosa, Hamden, Troop I
• Nicholas Swarr, Waterford, Troop F
• Euegene Willingham, Bloomfield, Troop B
• Magdalena Woloszyn, Waterford, Troop F