The numbers regarding unemployment and job loss in Utah are definitely not good, as the impacts of the coronavirus continue to hurt.
But there is a little bit of good news to share, the Utah Highway Patrol is hiring.
If you’ve ever thought about a career in law enforcement, if you’re 21 or older and can meet the qualifications, you could be a UHP trooper.
“So we are looking to hire 30 troopers, statewide and it’s a great opportunity for everyone, especially right now with the economy and numbers are down but we are still hiring," said UHP Trooper Tara Wahlberg.
In spite of and maybe because of the current pandemic, the need for these first responders may be more critical than ever.
And a career driving a UHP patrol cruiser can also lead to a myriad of other job possibilities within the department including special investigations, drug enforcement, all the way up to a special detail providing security for the governor.
Those positions need to be filled now.
“Up here in Salt Lake County it’s very fast paced, it’s a daily change, you don’t do the same thing over and over," Trooper Wahlberg said. "In the rural areas you get to interact with the county deputies, the city agencies and you get a lot of different stuff out there as well.”
Trooper Wahlberg has been a trooper for six years now and says it’s been a fascinating career so far.
She says there are several other positions available behind the scenes that are just as critical, in particular UHP dispatchers.
“They are a tremendous help for us, they’re our lifesavers a lot of the time," she said. "They are actually very shorthanded right now and a lot of them are getting overworked and tired, they need help up at dispatch.”
You only have to be at least 18 years old to apply to be a dispatcher and you could turn that into a trooper position down the road
“We’re still around and we’ll always be around," Trooper Wahlberg said. "That’s the one good thing about law enforcement is we are always here, we are always working and we always have jobs.”
For more information and to get to the application process,click here.
