Jose Perez

ATLANTA — Calling it “a punch to the gut,” the commanding officer of the Georgia State Patrol announced the firing of 30 troopers statewide Wednesday, the result of a test-cheating scandal at troopers school.

Col. Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, mother agency of the state patrol, said virtually the entire 106th class of the school, which graduated in August 2019, was dismissed.

Trooper Jose Perez, part of the 106th class, was stationed at Post 13 in Tifton, according to a GSP release.

The online test involved radar speed gun operations. McDonough said the investigation began with allegations Oct. 8 that two cadets cheated but grew from there.

Cadets were helping each other with the test, searching the Internet for posted test questions and answers and even setting up Snapchat accounts to help, he said. One cadet got someone outside of the state patrol to take the test for him, the colonel said.

As a result of the cheating, the state patrol will no longer use online tests, relying entirely on tests taken in person in front of instructors, McDonough said.

“To my knowledge, this has never happened before to this scale,” he said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.