Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in Hamilton up for District 8 honors

Dec. 4—Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Chase Lucas is the Hamilton Post's trooper of the year, an honor that humbles the 24-year-old.

Lucas, a Caldwell, Ohio native and Lebanon resident, was accepted into the Ohio State Highway Patrol's academy in 2021, and he graduated at the beginning of the year. He was assigned to the Hamilton post, and completed his field training with a senior trooper in May.

The selection of Lucas as the Hamilton post's trooper of the year is in recognition of his outstanding service in 2022 at the Hamilton Post. Fellow officers stationed at the Hamilton Post chose Lucas based on his leadership abilities, professional ethics, courteous treatment of others, enthusiastic work attitude, and cooperation with supervisors, peers, and the public.

Lucas called the selection "a great honor," especially being new to the profession, which is in his family. He has an aunt that's a lieutenant in the State Highway Patrol, two cousins in law enforcement in eastern Ohio, and an uncle at the Warren County Sheriff's Office.

"It's definitely a cool honor," Lucas said. "I guess I've earned everyone's respect, and I do what I'm supposed to do: handle my calls, be respectful, and help everyone out when they need help."

Before Lucas became a trooper, he went to college for law enforcement, earning an associate's degree from Hocking College. The 2016 Caldwell High School graduate said he applied to a couple of places, but it wasn't until the issues surrounding the COVID pandemic slowed that he was contacted by the OSP.

Away from the Hamilton post, Lucas is active in church and his community.

Lucas said he's been "a sponge" since joining the patrol, "soaking up all the knowledge everyone at the post has."

"Everyone here is just willing to help, everyone here just has lots of knowledge, lots of years on, and I look up to them," he said. "We're like family."

Lucas is now in contention for the District 8 Trooper of the Year, which will be announced the second week of this month. There are nine districts within Ohio, and all nine District Troopers of the Year will then be in contention for State Trooper of the Year, which won't be announced until the Leadership Award banquet in February.