Sweet Home’s newest police officer is exactly where he wants to be.
“I Google-stalked this place,” said Trevor Fillis, who started with the Sweet Home Police Department on Feb. 1. “I’m kind of particular.”
He decided to move to the area and settle in Lebanon five years ago after doing similar research. The 32-year-old did the same when he picked his next career.
“I love the area,” Fillis said. He and his wife, Teasha, hike above Sweet Home and boat in Sweet Home’s lakes. “We deliberately moved here.”
Fillis grew up in Canby and graduated from high school there in 1998, working in construction.
“Pretty much, I just built houses,” he said. “I wanted something solid.”
He wanted to escape the seasonal work, he said. “I wanted something I could do the rest of my life.”
Fillis said he deals well with other people, and he looked for some kind of work in which he could work with people. He found it in law enforcement.
He learned more about the field by attending the Linn County Sheriff’s Office’s Citizens Academy, he said. He rode with deputies and spent time around the jail.
Deputy John Lovik was his biggest influence, he said. His first ride-along was with Lovik.
“By the end of the night, I was hooked,” Fillis said. Within days, he signed up for the Citizens Academy and then enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College. That was three years ago.
He graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice in March.
He completed an internship with the Aurora Police Department, and that turned into a one-year reserve position.
Fillis said he was selective while applying for a permanent position, and Sweet Home was one of the few places where he applied.
“I do well with people, and I do well with stressful situations,” Fillis said. “This actually comes natural.”
The work is cut-and-dried, he said. There is a list of rules, and whether those rules are violated is a “yes” or a “no,” although in the case of minor offenses, officers have some discretion.
Fillis enjoys traffic duty and dealing with children, he said. He has coached every sport he could in Lebanon with the Boys and Girls Club with his children; and long-term, if the opportunity arises again in Sweet Home, he would apply to be a school resource officer.
“I like the size of this town,” Fillis said. “I like the geographical area the town is in.”
Sweet Home is the perfect size, he said. It will never outgrow him, and “there are plenty of opportunities here.”
He continues to live in Lebanon, he said, although he and his wife have talked about moving to Sweet Home. That’s something they may do later on.
Right now, Fillis is busy learning the area better and getting to know the local people, he said. Then he will head to the Police Academy.
His wife is a financial controller for an architecture firm in Gresham and often works from home. They have two children, Alexis, 14, and Mya, 11. They enjoy soccer, volleyball and softball.