Help wanted — OSHP seeking quality people to help serve others
The list of available positions within the OSHP are many including dispatchers and troopers. OSHP dispatcher LZ Lloyd Kyle Biggins and trooper Jim Donahue inside the dispatcher room at the Wooster Command Post.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is seeking a few good people to fill some critical roles in the OSHP, and the hope is a call to quality people who want to put the safety and well-being of others first will bear fruit.
According to Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper Joshua Smith, who serves as the Wooster Post’s head of office of recruitment, and Lt. Todd Roberts, Wooster Command Post, the OSHP is facing dwindling numbers for recruits.
“Fewer people are applying for law-enforcement jobs these days, and our hope is that we are able to get the word out that we have some very good-paying and gratifying jobs at the OSHP, not just here in our division, but all over Ohio.”
Roberts said while many people view the job of OSHP members as sitting roadside waiting to hand out tickets, the role is so much more than that.
“It’s really about a willingness to serve and protect others,” Roberts said. “It’s an incredibly rewarding career for those who want to take action in helping others and not just sit back and watch.”
Roberts said the team at the Wooster OSHP office is a close-knit group full of quality people who care about others — members who are decent, hardworking and courteous professionals in their work. He said the people are very grateful and appreciative of the work they do.
“We get thanked by people on a daily basis. You just don’t see it on TV,” Roberts said.
Whether it is with large-scale drug cases, pursuing fugitives or everyday interactions that often go unnoticed, the role of an OSHP officer is to create a safer haven in which community members live, work and play.
“We do a whole lot more daily than what people realize,” Roberts said. “It’s not just about writing speeding tickets, although traffic safety is one of our main focuses.”
Smith said he knew he wanted to serve others for a living, and the OSHP gave him that opportunity. He said he wanted to work for a department that provided plenty of opportunities to serve, and in researching job possibilities after graduating high school, the OSHP quickly rose to the top of the list. He said specialty training, promotional opportunities and paid training were all things that drew him to the OSHP.
“Once you’re trained at the academy, you’re guaranteed a position,” Smith said. “That was encouraging to me. They gave me the chance to create my own career path that suited what I wanted to grow into, and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
He said the versatility of being a trooper also is a perk, noting if a trooper’s spouse gets a job somewhere else in the state or they move, the OSHP will make sure the transfer will happen and seniority is maintained.
Smith said the OSHP should have about 1,600 members statewide. Currently, that number stands at 1,300, so there are plenty of opportunities available.
One bonus of joining the academy is they are paid while attending training at the academy. Anyone completing the academy will be assigned to attend a post as a field officer, and Roberts said a trainee may choose to go to any of the OSHP’s 56 command posts throughout the state.
“We work hard to get cadets stationed close to home,” Roberts said. “We do have people who want to try a new area in the state, so we are very accommodating when placing cadets.”
Each cadet must complete a 24- to 26-week paramilitary training academy session in Columbus, but Smith said for those willing to grind through that training, the results are well worth it.
In pursuing a position with OSHP, trainees can focus on many different jobs within the organization. Smith said it isn’t just sitting in a patrol car all day.
Some of the different positions include aircraft pilot, academy instructor, canine handler, criminal patrol, criminal investigator, crash reconstructionist, motor vehicle inspector, polygraph examiner, recruiter, executive protection and special response team.
“Whatever direction a recruit wants to pursue is totally up to them, and advancement is in their own hands,” Smith said. “We offer a wide variety of positions that suit a lot of different needs and personalities. The opportunities are almost endless.”
He said one thing that helps cadets grow into their roles at the OSHP is helping candidates identify their strengths and then helping push them to excel in that desired area of expertise.
“It’s about helping someone identify their goal and then become proficient in that area,” Smith said. “Once we get people where they really want to be, it creates a unique melting pot where everyone is using their strengths to complete the team.”
The OSHP is currently accepting applications for a spring 2022 academy class. Online applications can be filled out at www.careers.ohio.gov, keyword cadet, then under the heading Trooper (Cadet) job posting.
“There are some people who don’t think they qualify, and that is a huge misconception,” Smith said. “Everyone has their own assets and gifts, and we need people from all walks of life to make us relatable as a department. We want to equip candidates so they can make decisions that are best for them.”
Anyone with questions can call Smith at 614-203-5183, and he will answer any questions and give direction on how to apply. He said those interested can stop in at the Wooster Command Post and have someone walk them through the application process.
The Wooster Command Post is located at 1786 Dover Road in Wooster.
TO APPLY — In applying for a job with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, those applying must complete an online application and meet certain qualifications defined on the OSHP website.
Requirements to apply for a position with the OSHP are as follows: must be between the age of 20-34 and must have a high school diploma or GED, must be a citizen of the United States with a valid driver’s license, and requirements for vision, health, hearing and character that must be met.
Troopers work 40 hours per week and are entitled to 11 paid holidays, four personal days and 10 paid sick days. The base salary in year one as a trooper is $62,000, and that amount rises quickly to $81,000 in year six of service. Troopers receive two to six weeks of vacation per year depending on their years of service. They receive paid vision and dental care after one year of service and are eligible to retire at age 52 with 25 years of service.
All other details involving positions, requirements and the academy can be found on the website at www.statepatrol.ohio.gov.