Thirty-five new Georgia State Troopers will be ready to patrol Georgia highways by the time the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday travel period begins, including three -- Michael Brown, John Daniel and Justin Henderson -- in Cartersville. The new troopers graduated from the 88th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School Thursday at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.

The graduation ceremony marked the completion of 31 weeks of rigid law enforcement training that included three months of on-the-road field training under the guidance of veteran field training officers. The new troopers have been assigned to vacancies at the Georgia State Patrol's 48 post locations across the state, according to Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

"These troopers have received the best training available," McDonough said. "They have undergone grueling physical, academic and field training to prepare them well for a career in the dangerous profession of law enforcement."

McDonough noted that this is the 88th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School to graduate and the new troopers compose the last graduating class before the Department of Public Safety celebrates its 75th Anniversary next March. The first troopers in Georgia began patrols in September 1937.

The current class has received specialized training on impaired driving enforcement in addition to special training on pursuit driving, firearms and drug interdiction techniques.

The Thanksgiving holiday travel period begins Wednesday, Nov. 23, and ends Sunday night, Nov. 27.