Del. welcomes new class of troopers

Daniel Blomquist has been waiting for this day for most of his life, the day he would become a state trooper.

“I pulled out my 6th grade yearbook the other day and it said ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ And sure enough it said a state trooper,” he said. “Since I was a kid I looked up to those people.”

Blomquist was one of 21 members of the 82nd class of Delaware State Troopers to graduate Friday at a ceremony at Delaware State University in Dover. Also graduating were six members of the 73rd class of municipal police officers.

“This is an amazing honor they now have, to serve the people of Delaware,” said Gov. Jack Markell. “I don’t think any of us can be given a bigger honor.”

Col. Robert Coupe of the Delaware State Police welcomed his new class. They will join approximately 2,000 other law enforcement officers in the state.

“We are proud to call you graduates of the Delaware State Police Academy,” he said.

The ceremony was the culmination of 23 weeks of intense training that, according to Blomquist, included getting pepper sprayed and tased.

“It’s five seconds of the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your life,” he said.

But well worth it to realize a childhood dream.

“Some day there may be a kid that looks up to me,” Blomquist said.

They’re not quite officers yet. The fresh troopers will have a week off before starting 12 weeks of field training.

Blomquist says he’s ready.

“You don’t know what’s out there and things can go bad fast,” he said. “But they’ve prepared us to make decisions when they need to be made.”

Here are the members of the 82nd DSP and 73rd Municipal class:

Trooper Ryan A. Albert, DSP; Trooper Daniel W. Barry, DSP; Trooper Daniel I. Blomquist, DSP; Trooper W. Wyatt Bullock, DSP; Trooper Matthew K. Calio, DSP; Trooper Nicholas J. Ciglinsky, DSP; Trooper Brett A. Cordrey, DSP; Trooper Joshua D. Dear, DSP; Trooper Leonard L. DeMalto, DSP; Trooper Jonathan C. Gibbons, DSP; Trooper Jason T. Hatchell, DSP; Trooper S. Grant Nash III, DSP; Trooper Michael C. Payne, DSP; Trooper Nicholas S. Ronzo, DSP; Trooper Matthew S. Rosner, DSP; Trooper Ashley M. Stetser, DSP; Trooper Michael B. Weinstein, DSP; Trooper Krystle R. Woodyard, DSP; Trooper Sean M. Callaway, DSP; Trooper Mark J. Doughty, DSP; Trooper Joshua P. Rowley, DSP; Agent John W. Lister, DNREC Parks and Recreation; Agent Adam R. Yeager, DNREC Parks and Recreation; Officer Jonathan Lee Ricketts, Milford PD; Officer Dustin J. Fraley, Milton PD; Officer William J. Saylor, Seaford PD; Officer Richard J. Mantici, University of Delaware PD