Eight new Michigan State Police motor carrier officers have joined the ranks following the graduation of the 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School last week in Lansing. Motor carrier officers are armed uniformed members of the MSP who specialize in commercial vehicle enforcement. They enforce traffic safety laws on commercial vehicles, protect the infrastructure through aggressive size and weight enforcement, conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections, and contribute to homeland security efforts by enforcing hazardous material regulations. The 26th Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School began in January when 17 prospective officers reported to the MSP Training Academy in Dimondale. For the past 18 weeks, the recruits received training in firearms, water safety, defensive tactics, patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, first aid, criminal law, commercial vehicle law, and commercial vehicle inspections. Among the new graduates is Keith Samons, who has been assigned to the Niles MSP post.
