Riding with ISP

The summer months are always among the busiest for Idaho State Police troopers. Doing everything from traffic stops to emergency responses, ISP is always looking to keep people safe.

For the past decade, Sgt. Todd Orr has been part of it, keeping District Five safe from behind the wheel.

“Anytime I look at somebody and I believe they are putting someone else or themselves at risk, at that point, you know, I’ll go chat with them,” he said.

It’s a tough job that Orr said not everyone is suited for. Something many find out during training.

“It is long hours, screaming yelling, all that kind of stuff, you know,” Orr explained. “And it’s just a simple premise of can you handle a little bit of stress. If you can, great. If not, job’s probably not for you.”

When on patrol, Orr keeps his eyes open for anything and everything, pulling over anyone he believes he needs to talk to. This includes everything from speeding to having a tail light out, or to offer assistance.

During a two-hour ride Tuesday, Orr made contact with 11 people.

“Usually, if you inform people ‘here’s the safety issues with this,’ people tend to be pretty good about it and they understand,” he explained.

Patrolling nearly five thousand miles of roadway, Orr said he’s had to respond to calls an hour and half away and seen so many anomalies that he now has a document full of them. One highlight, a woman performing CPR on a cat on the side of I-15.

It’s this predictably unpredictable nature of the job that is one of Orr’s favorite things. But coming from a military background, he puts camaraderie atop his list.

“Because sometimes with jobs, you have coworkers. In the military, the United States Marine Corps, you have brothers and sisters. It’s the same with law enforcement,” he said.

“A lot of people think it’s drive fast and all that and there’s so much more to the job.”