Photo by Mark Law Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Trevor L. Koontz has been selected as the 2019 Trooper of the Year at the Steubenville Post. Koontz joined the patrol in 2012, and has served with the Steubenville Post since his graduation from the academy.

WINTERSVILLE — Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Trevor L. Koontz says he loves helping people and that is strong work ethic and professionalism on the job.

For that, he has been selected as the 2019 Trooper of the Year at the Steubenville Post.

Koontz joined the patrol in 2012, and has served with the Steubenville Post since his graduation from the academy.

The patrol reported the selection of Koontz is in recognition of his outstanding service at the post in 2019. Fellow Steubenville Post troopers chose Koontz based on leadership abilities, professional ethics, courteous treatment of others, enthusiastic work attitude and cooperation with supervisors, peers, and the public.

Koontz graduated from Seton Hill University, with a degree in criminal justice. He was weighing enlisting in the Army, where he was considering being a helicopter pilot. He instead got in touch with the highway patrol, completed all the background checks and enrolled in the patrol academy.

The Norvelt, Pennsylvania, native fell in love with his job as a trooper.

“I love what I do. I love being out there helping people and dealing with the challenges presented to me,” he said.

Koontz said it is a “great honor” to be selected by his fellow troopers for the award. It was his first time to receive the recognition.

“The guys see my work ethic, professionalism and commitment and dedication to helping them,” he said. “I think they see that. It shows my work ethic and dedication to the job. The time I put into the job isn’t unnoticed. I have to work (with the fellow troopers) 365 days a year. We have a great bunch of guys here.”

Lt. Joseph Fetty, post commander, said Koontz was selected based on his overall work ethic and the way he performs his job.

“Trevor has always been a high performer at the post. He is one of the most consistent performers, and his work ethic is top notch,” Fetty said.

Koontz actually gets thank you cards from people he has helped. One card came from a woman he stopped and who was charged with drunk driving. The woman called Koontz her “guardian angel,” because he stopped her before she could become injured or hurt someone else because of her condition.

Koontz said his help can be as simple as helping someone change a tire on the side of the road or keeping them warm in his cruiser until help arrives.

“I have a job to do, but people realize I am there to help them. People see us a safety net, knowing when they need us, we are there,” he said.

Koontz would like to be a traffic-accident resonstructionist at the patrol.

“I like the challenges of a crash, and figuring out the pieces of the puzzle,” he said.