New MHP Trooper on duty in Lincoln

It's been more than two years since the Montana Highway Patrol Trooper had someone stationed in Lincoln, but last weekend Jesse Short checked on for his first official shift as the resident trooper here.

Short, who has been with the MHP since last March, has spent quite a bit of time in Lincoln before taking the position here, both during and after his Field Training.

"My field trainer tried to get up to Lincoln as much as possible because he enjoyed it. We would come up here quite a a bit and obviously for a lot of crashes in the early spring when you get that last little bit of snow," he said.

Although he was originally slated to be stationed in Eureka, Short said the tight housing market there prevented him from getting started there. Instead, he went to Helena, which was short on troopers at the time. Recently, with staffing in Helena up to par, Short had the opportunity to work in either Boulder or Lincoln.

"We definitely needed somebody working Highway 200 because of all the different things going on up here," he said. "I like the Lincoln area and really want to work Highway 200."

Having spent time working in the area during the last year, Short said he's gotten to know many of the major traffic and safety issues facing the Lincoln area and Highway 200. He said speed and crashes are the two main concerns he has, as well as improper passing that leads to accidents.

Short also got to know Lincoln's resident Lewis and Clark County Deputy, Cpl. Robert Rivera and Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse. He credited them with helping him find a place here by keeping him tuned in to the local housing market.

Originally from Richmond in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, Short is a veteran of both the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. After serving as a machine gunner in the Marines in the early 2000's, he joined the Army, serving as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne.

After leaving the military he "knocked out college" and went on to work as a contractor at the U.S Embassy in Baghdad for a couple years.

"I was kind of wanting to go into diplomatic service and I just didn't get along with the people who worked in the State Department." he said. "So I always like a challenge. Nobody wanted to be a cop so I went 'Ok, I'll be a cop."

Although Short likes the Appalachian Mountains, he said the Rockies are a little bit better.

"I always wanted to move out here," he said. "When the position for the patrol came open, I put the application in and didn't know how it would go. I made it through the process the first time, so that's what brought me here. I'm happy to be here and happy to be in this position."