Police Officer Tim Trahan of Lebanon, recently hired by the Sweet Home Police Department, is joining his brother in taking his family, a three-generation timber family, in a new direction by entering law enforcement.
Trahan, 24, started with Sweet Home Police Department on Oct. 26. He is attending Linn-Benton Community College and expects to earn his associate’s degree in criminal justice in December. He will start at the police academy in Monmouth on Jan. 15.
Trahan grew up in Lebanon, graduating at Lebanon Union High School in 1994. He worked in mills until March 1999 when he went back to school. He was a reserve officer in Lebanon, working there from January to May as an LBCC practicum then through October as a reserve officer.
Trahan’s brother started working as an officer in 1990, he said. “That was my inspiration to pursue this career. It’s the best job in the world. It’s perfect. You get to see people every day.”
Growing up, Trahan wanted to be a firefighter, but he compared what he would end up doing in both professions.
“I like just being around people, dealing with people, making people feel safe,” Trahan said. “I wanted to stay in the Valley. I like it here, so I just took this opportunity.”
“The timber industry is what raised me,” Trahan, from a three-generation timber family, said. “If it wasn’t for that who knows what we’d be. That’s my roots.”
Sweet Home is near the town where he grew up, and it places him outside his hometown, Trahan said. Trahan enjoys the outdoors, and Sweet Home is just a rock’s throw from the river and lake. Hoodoo Ski Resort is nearby.
“It’s probably one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen,” Trahan said. “You can’t see anything by green wherever you look.”
Trahan’s career goal is to be a K9 officer, he said. “Something about it seems so exciting.”
He is interested in the demonstrations that often come with the position, and he would also like to work in schools with children.
“Right now, I like being out on the road,” Trahan said. “I like being with people.”
Being social and talking to people is important, Trahan said. “If you talk to them, people will talk to you,” and people don’t often see the human side of police officers.
Name: Tim Trahan
Age: 24
Occupation: Police officer
Spouse: Single
Children: None
Education: Lebanon Union High and LBCC
Hobbies: Snowboarding, in-line skating and socializing