Governor Carcieri and Col. Brendan Doherty, superintendent of the state police, inspect the new troopers Friday at their swearing-in ceremony at the Community College of Rhode Island, in Lincoln. The troopers, below, march into the fieldhouse to start the ceremony.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

For the first time in five years and the only the second time in 10, the Rhode Island State Police are adding new troopers to their ranks.

Thirty-six troopers, hailing from 18 cities and towns and chosen from more than 1,900 applicants, were sworn in Friday in a ceremony at the Community College of Rhode Island.

The troopers will have 27 days of on-the-job training and then be given road assignments, allowing senior troopers to move to more investigative roles, said Lt. Col. Raymond S. White Jr. All told, they will raise the state’s roster of troopers to 230, though that includes 17 who can retire this year and 31 who can retire next year, White said.

The new troopers come from a variety of backgrounds, including the military, education, trades and local police departments, White said.

The state police are exempt from a state hiring freeze, announced in September, because of the role they play in protecting peoples’ health and safety, said Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Governor Carcieri.

The new troopers, and their home communities, are: John R. Brown, Coventry; Adam J. Houston, Cranston; David R. Gosling, Adam B. Kennett and Brendan D. Palmer, East Greenwich; Sean M. Crowley and Ruth C. Hernandez, East Providence; Michael Reynolds, III, Lincoln; Lisa M. Silveira, Middletown; Andrew L. Carter, Kyle A. Gorenski, Ryan N. Mahoney and Courtney E. Mulcahy, Narragansett; Matthew J. Burke and Christopher V. O’Connors, North Kingstown; Kenneth J. Marandola, Jr., North Providence; Dwayne Correia, North Smithfield; Amoncio A. DaCruz, Andrew R. Emerson, Louis J. Fiorenzano, Jr., Donald Pope, Jr. and Anthony S. Washington, Providence; Melissa A. Giardina, Richmond; Roupen Bastajian and Brendan D. Devine, Smithfield; Robert B. Marchand, South Kingstown; Jonathan M. Elliott, Warren; James R. Donnelly-Taylor, Kyle A. Draper, James E. Gaffney, Sean F. Pasley, Ryan M. Santo and James M. Thomas, III, Warwick; Nicholas J. Messinger, West Greenwich, and Kyle K. Shibley and Stephen W. Vinton, West Warwick.

redgar@projo.com