{"id":24626,"date":"2012-05-22T07:18:51","date_gmt":"2012-05-22T12:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=24626"},"modified":"2012-05-23T06:33:10","modified_gmt":"2012-05-23T11:33:10","slug":"state-patrol-trooper-candidates-sought-at-van-wert-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2012\/05\/22\/state-patrol-trooper-candidates-sought-at-van-wert-post\/","title":{"rendered":"State Patrol trooper candidates sought"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/<\/strong>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Teri Cavin (right) talks about becoming a state trooper while Eric Dever listens. (Dave Mosier\/Van Wert independent)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like the famous United States Marine Corps slogan, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is looking for \u201ca few good men.\u201d Actually, make that a few good people.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s not easy to become a trooper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for someone who has the intestinal fortitude to make it through our academy, who\u2019s not going to give up,\u201d Cavin said, noting that trooper candidates should also be service oriented. \u201cThey need to have an interest in serving the people, and the communities in which they work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s before they get to the Patrol Academy, where trooper candidates undergo 29 weeks of intensive educational and physical training.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do expect honesty and integrity, that\u2019s what we look for in people,\u201d Cavin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, for the most part, we get decent candidates,\u201d Cavin added, although she noted she knows several of those she recruits won\u2019t make it through the Academy, for whatever reason. \u201cIt makes you feel good when they do well and it makes you wonder about what did you do wrong when they screw up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cavin came to the Patrol after nine years in the military, and has been a trooper for 10 years. For her, it\u2019s the perfect job. \u201cI love being a trooper and I love being a recruiter,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s degree in criminal justice from Rhodes State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always had the \u2018servant\u2019s heart\u2019 and wanted to serve,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The idea of service, professionalism and compassion were what drew Dever to apply to the Patrol, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody you pull over, technically, you are working for them,\u201d he added. \u201cYou have to serve them with honor, with respect and compassion \u2026 unbiased professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

She noted that Patrol employees rarely leave its service unless it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/independent editor Like the famous United States Marine Corps slogan, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is looking for \u201ca few good men.\u201d 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-01 13:56:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}