Chili, Seatbelts, and Family...
What a great opening, but now that I have your attention….
Anywho, every now and again (almost every day), Trp. Ben
does impromptu Q&A’s; answering anything from traffic related questions to
non-traffic related questions. As much as 140 characters would allow with a few
emoji’s! So, when the opportunity arisen to conduct an interview, I took it!
You may be wondering, how I was so lucky to be granted an
interview, welp, Trp Ben, tweeted “Who else wanted an interview? Phone? Skype?
In-person?...”
And in good ol’ Marcy fashion, I knocked the door down, like
I was Wonder Woman, with an “M” on my chest! (Not literally, just figuratively)
So, the interview went a little something like this….
Q: “When you’re alone in your patrol vehicle,
what do you think about?”
A: “I mostly,
think about what I have to be looking for. What I’m going to eat? Cause I’m
always hungry. What I have to do when I get home? What am I cleaning, I mostly wash the dishes.
What I’m going to cook for dinner? Those type of things.”
Oh how I know the feeling all too well, when hunger
strikes… The struggle is real!!!
Q: “What’s
your advice, for future LEOs?”
A: “To be
honest, be real, and get a feel of where you want to be in 5… 10… 15 years from
now…”
Fun Fact #1:
Trooper Ben wanted to be a K9 handler or the safety person, prior to becoming a PIO.
Trooper Ben went on to say, that even though being a K9 handler wasn’t for him, it didn’t stop him from finding what unit of KHP, he
would be best at serving the community. That’s when he realized that being in prevention was where he needed to be.
A (cont.): “…
everyone has their passion, and they just have to figure out what that passion
is. They go all in and get themselves prepared to be as best as they can, to
serve the people that they serve in their community.”
Couldn’t have said it any better… Take note you future
law enforcers, Trp. Ben is giving words of wisdom.
Q: “What is
the funniest thing that has happened to you most recently?”
A: “I have a
rule – tweeted this yesterday – I gave a safety program to some senior-
seasoned experienced drivers, and they didn’t know that one of my rules is to
not eat donuts- I don’t eat donuts while in uniform….”
Fun Fact #2: Trooper
Ben abstains from eating donuts while in uniform.
A (cont.): “….
that’s just something I don’t do. So I had to keep on decline and declining. So
finally, I was just like ‘Thank you’ and I took it with me. I told them I
couldn’t eat it at the time and they were amazed like why not? And I explained
to them my rule. So they said ‘well you just hang on to that donut until the
end of the day, you can eat it when you get out of uniform’…. And that was
certainly the case, ‘cause as soon as I got out of uniform, that donut was
gone! It sat in my patrol car with me all day long. And honestly, my patrol car
was warm, so the nice, warm, toasty donut… it was awesome!”
So, if you have a lemonade stand and Trooper Ben’s in your neck of the woods, don’t be surprised if he stops by and grabs a drink and a conversation.
Q: “What
inspires you?”
A: “I guess
for me, I feel like I’m making a difference. I mean- I think that every officer
wants to make a difference and to be able to see what those differences are….
So, for me I feel like I make a difference cause when I go to work and I see
someone who maybe ‘anti-law enforcement’, I look for opportunities- even with
those individuals, I try to build a report… try to bridge that gap of maybe
they never liked officers… and maybe with my interactions, maybe with my smile,
with me being real and honest with them, I might be able to move them towards,
not all officers are difficult. Maybe they’ll say majority of them are but not
Trooper Ben…”
Trooper Ben went on to say that, those moments are when he feels, he makes a difference.
A (cont.): “… and even with
the kids, some kids will say ‘you take people to jail, you take people to jail’
and then run off or something… I try to be factual and say ‘well yeah I do take
people to jail’ but I do so with much respect as I can... And having those discussions,
it motivates me and I feel like I make a difference.”
In all honesty, Trooper Ben speaks with such purity, humbleness, passion, and…. He keeps it real! There has only been a few officers, troopers, deputies; I have spoken to, that when they speak about the love they have for their job, you see the twinkle in their eyes and you see their face light up, and Trooper Ben is one of those people... He's the 'Real Deal', ladies and gentlemen...
So, in conclusion, I asked “If you were asked who is Trooper
Ben? How would you best describe yourself?”
A: “Trooper
Ben is a guy that loves wearing a Kansas Highway Patrol uniform serving others.
Through social media or by simply sitting down for a friendly visit with anyone
that crosses his path. And he loves chili, seatbelts, and his family.”
Fun Fact #4: Trooper Ben loves chili. He loves when
everyone wears their seatbelts, while driving. And most importantly he loves
his family!
If, you’re wondering, Trooper Ben does watch Live PD on A&E. Make sure you Tune in every Friday & Saturday night @ 9pm (EST) on A&E for Live PD.
Until next time…
~Marcy
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