State Patrol trooper candidates sought

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Like the famous United States Marine Corps slogan, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is looking for “a few good men.” Actually, make that a few good people.

Trooper Teri Cavin, field recruiter for northwest Ohio, was at the Van Wert OSHP Post on Monday to talk to Patrol candidates, but stressed that it’s not easy to become a trooper.

“We’re looking for someone who has the intestinal fortitude to make it through our academy, who’s not going to give up,” Cavin said, noting that trooper candidates should also be service oriented. “They need to have an interest in serving the people, and the communities in which they work.”

Cavin, who covers 13 counties in northwest Ohio, provided information on what it takes to become a state trooper to several people interested in applying. Troopers candidates have to undergo a rigorous vetting process that includes background checks and a polygraph examination, as well as a medical exam, physical fitness evaluation and psychological testing.

And that’s before they get to the Patrol Academy, where trooper candidates undergo 29 weeks of intensive educational and physical training.

“We do expect honesty and integrity, that’s what we look for in people,” Cavin said.

“I think, for the most part, we get decent candidates,” Cavin added, although she noted she knows several of those she recruits won’t make it through the Academy, for whatever reason. “It makes you feel good when they do well and it makes you wonder about what did you do wrong when they screw up.”

Cavin came to the Patrol after nine years in the military, and has been a trooper for 10 years. For her, it’s the perfect job. “I love being a trooper and I love being a recruiter,” she noted.

Those with prior military service also get some preference, at least at the end of the process, since their service earns credit on the Civil Service exam every trooper candidate must take prior to graduating from the Academy. Military service, however, is not recognized on the entrance examination for the Academy.

Trooper candidates must be between the ages of 20 and 34, be U.S. citizens and Ohio residents — although that requirement can be waived for good cause. A college education is not required, although at least one of the candidates that came to the Van Wert Post, Eric Dever, will soon earn an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Rhodes State University.

“I’ve always had the ‘servant’s heart’ and wanted to serve,” said Dever, a resident of Dola, a small town near Ada, noting that he knew he wanted to go into law enforcement at a relatively young age and started to research the Patrol a couple of years ago.

The idea of service, professionalism and compassion were what drew Dever to apply to the Patrol, he said.

“Everybody you pull over, technically, you are working for them,” he added. “You have to serve them with honor, with respect and compassion … unbiased professionalism.”

While the process of becoming a trooper is grueling, Cavin stressed that the Patrol provides a good career for those who make it through the Academy.

She noted that Patrol employees rarely leave its service unless it’s for the purpose of retirement. The Patrol also provides job security, Cavin said, adding that it has never laid off a trooper in its entire history.

Meanwhile, Dever and other candidates will seek to be one of the 270 people the Patrol plans to hire this coming year from three Academy classes.