Members of the Georgia State Patrol answered questions at a hiring event at Post 31 in Valdosta. Left to right: Brian Stone, SWAT logistics; Glenn Morgan, SCRT; Clay Cothron, K-9 unit; Dustin Rozier, recruiter; Shane Copeland, dive team; and Chris Myers; intern.

VALDOSTA — “When you graduate trooper school, you’re self-reliant,” Georgia State Patrol Trooper 1st Class Dustin Rozier said. “You know what your job is and you do it.”

Rozier and others shared their experiences as Georgia state troopers at a hiring event at Post 31 Wednesday.

TFC Shane Copeland praised the training he received as a trooper. Copeland is part of the state trooper dive team.

“They want us all to be certified dive masters,” Copeland said. “We get thousands of hours underwater.”

Copeland believes the dive training is second only to the military.

“I always wanted to scuba dive,” Copeland said.

In basic training, troopers train 32 weeks, including two weeks just for firearms, two just for driving, Rozier said.

Christopher Myers was especially impressed by the driving instructors.

“Those instructors are really good,” Myers said.

Myers is part of a pilot internship program with Post 31 and Valdosta State University. He has one year left as a criminal justice major.

Rozier said the program is part of a larger effort to recruit new troopers.

The deadline for application to the 103rd unit trooper school is Sept. 10. The school begins Feb. 11, 2018.

Georgia State Patrol Post 31 is located at 371 Gil Harbin Industrial Boulevard.

More information is available at www.gatrooper.com.