Tallest trooper ever among new graduates from Minnesota State Patrol Academy

Cadets graduate from Minnesota State Patrol Academy

A new class of 34 cadets graduated from the Minnesota State Patrol Academy Friday. The class includes a former drone operator for the government, the tallest recruit ever at 7'1", and a former rock band roadie.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota State Patrol welcomed 34 new state troopers on Friday, including its tallest recruit ever at 7'1''.

Kristian Jensen is now the tallest Minnesota state trooper in the state's history. The newly graduated trooper has been assigned to the Thief River Falls station.

The new class is made up of five women, 12 military veterans, 12 cadets, two pilots, and three cadets with family members in the patrol. One of the graduates, Patrick Fitzgibbons, holds the Guinness Book of World Record for barefoot waterskiing.

"You go out to a community where over 100 languages are spoken," Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said during the ceremony. "And today as you go forth from this place, you will bring a new meaning to the phrase, ‘a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.'"

The cadets completed the Minnesota State Patrol's 63rd Training Academy, a 14-week course at Camp Ripley that began on July 14. The training covered various topics including motor vehicle crash investigations, traffic law, de-escalation and mental health emergencies. They were part of the State Patrol's Law Enforcement Training Opportunity program designed to recruit people with no law enforcement experience.

Earlier this month, FOX 9 spoke with one of the new troopers, Andrew Schommer. He worked part-time at the Washington County Sheriff's Office and said it was his dream to put on the uniform.