On Thursday afternoon, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources graduates 22 new conservation officers.
The graduation takes place at 1:00 p.m. at the Michigan State Police Training Academy.
The cadets reported for training at the Michigan State Police Training Facility in Dimondale back on a steamy Sunday afternoon in July.
On Thursday, six women and 16 men will become peace officers. They must deal with poachers, look for escaped prisoners or assist in a weather emergency.
They’ve undergone 5-and-half-months of academic and physical training, which includes sitting in an ice bath to know what it feels like to fall through the ice during Michigan winters.
Department of Natural Resources First Lt. Steven Burton told WKAR News back in July, the cadets would learn how to operate as a team.
"It’s a true police officer job with a flavor of the outdoors," said Lt. Burton. "We really want them to come together as a team. And it’s a concept that the Army and the Marines have used for 200 years."
The majority of this class is from the lower peninsula of Michigan. But there are some members from the U.P. as well as from out of state.
