COLUMBIA - James Cameron "Cam" Welsh joined the S.C. Highway Patrol on Friday, graduating as one of 43 troopers from Basic Class 94.
The 25-year-old East Clarendon High School and University of South Carolina Sumter graduate participated in a ceremony that featured an address by Gov. Nikki Haley.
"There is great power that comes with that uniform," Haley told the graduates. "There is great respect, but that respect doesn't come from putting it on but how you act in that uniform."
Haley encouraged the troopers' families to always support and encourage them so that they can be prepared for the hard jobs they do each day. "It's in their blood to serve," Haley said. "It's for that reason, they will be great at it."
Basic 94 brings the total number of troopers in South Carolina to 780. The troopers began training in January. They graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy May 9 and continued on for specialized training from the patrol in all areas of law enforcement, including DUI detection, traffic laws, collision investigation and the use of firearms, as well as three weeks of field training. They have trained for 21 weeks and will begin another four to six weeks of field training upon graduation.
“This class continues the outstanding tradition of protecting, serving and educating our residents and visitors of the Palmetto State,” said SCDPS Director Leroy Smith. “I remain grateful for the continued support of Gov. Haley and the General Assembly for funding us in a way that allows us to continue to place new troopers in our communities around the state.”
See the July 3 edition of The Manning Times for more, including words from Welsh.
