The latest graduation ceremony of the N.C. Highway Patrol means a new trooper being assigned to Surry County, officials of the agency have announced.
Colt Clifton Kilby was among 42 graduates of the 150th Basic Highway Patrol School.
Kilby, whose home county is Alleghany, will work out of the Mount Airy duty station of the Highway Patrol, with 1st Sgt. Mitch Haunn as his immediate supervisor.
He and the other cadets are reporting to their respective duty stations this week to begin a demanding field training program.
Kilby, 36, said Wednesday afternoon that he is happy about being able to patrol the roadways of Surry County. “It was one of my first choices,” he said of potential assignment destinations. “I feel like it’s still close to home.”
A graduate of Alleghany High School in Sparta, Kilby previously served with the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office for a little more than six years, including as a deputy. He is married with three children.
The new trooper explained Wednesday that he always wanted to join the N.C. Highway Patrol, which has now become a reality.
Yet the graduation ceremony for Kilby and the other emerging troopers, conducted last Friday, was not the typical commencement because of the ongoing threat of COVID-19. It was a closed event held in the State Bureau of Investigation auditorium.
As described by a Highway Patrol spokesman, Sgt. Chris Knox, the ceremony capped off what was a “truly ” uncommon Patrol School experience with much of the training program forced to adapt to COVID-19 safety protocols.
“It was a very unique school,” Kilby agreed Wednesday.
Despite the recent challenges, the new troopers were urged to deliver quality service to the public upon being administered the oath of office by Judge Toby Hampson of the N.C. Court of Appeals.
“The highest ethical standards should govern every aspect of law enforcement and true justice demands equal treatment for all racial and ethnic groups,” they were told by Secretary Erik Hooks of the N.C. Department of Public Safety. He offered remarks to the Highway Patrol’s newest-sworn members along with Col. G.M. McNeill Jr., the 27th commander of the state agency.
“So, as you face the challenges of law enforcement, I am always reminded we are blessed with the opportunity to do some good in this world,” Hooks added.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com