Middletown (AP) — Connecticut State Police said Tuesday that they terminated eight trooper recruits for violating rules against cheating and plagiarism at the state police academy.

State police did not disclose the recruits' names or details of the rules violations.

The recruits were part of the 131st Training Troop that is scheduled to graduate on March 24. There were 53 recruits remaining in the class after the dismissals.

“This was a very unfortunate set of circumstances and allegations such as these are not taken lightly,” Col. Stavros Mellekas, the state police commander, said in a statement.

“The men and women of the State Police are expected to hold themselves to the highest standards in law enforcement," he said. "When those standards are not met, a process for review must be followed to determine if recruits are worthy of earning the title of ‘State Trooper.'”

A recruit termination board recommended the firings, and an internal affairs investigation found the trainees violated rules, officials said.