LINCOLN- On Friday, six new State Troopers were sworn in during a ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol, the smallest graduating class ever for the Nebraska State Patrol. However, despite concerns over the number of graduates, Col. John Bolduc, superintendent of the Patrol, expressed hope that recruiting will turn around.

In fact, according to Bolduc, a new recruit class of 17 will begin training in January. "We hope that begins a new trend," he said, "We don't think this will be the standard, this will be a one-off." Nationally, interest in law enforcement careers has slumped, in part due to the negative publicity following the police-custody death of George Floyd.

"This is a national trend," said Bolduc, "We're thankful for their willingness to step up and serve." Despite adding 16 new recruits in 2023, the Nebraska State Patrol still has 68 vacancies in its authorized strength of 482 sworn positions. On July 1st, the state increased trooper paychecks by 22%, but Nebraska's hike came as other competing law enforcement agencies also upped their pay.

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