By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews
How do those flashing red and blue lights atop an Oregon State Police cruiser make you feel? Dismayed if you know you’ve been speeding. Relieved if you are waiting for help for any reason, especially if there’s been an accident.
Oregon State Police troopers are on the road every day to help keep motorists safe – or in line. Senior Trooper Scott Severson has been one of those officers for 11 years, coming to the Oregon coast immediately after graduating from the Oregon State Police Academy in 2013. Although he hadn’t lived here before, his wife, Michelle, grew up in Waldport, the daughter of a well-known local and now retired physician, Dr. Gary Thueson, and his wife, Susan.
Severson spent his early childhood in Lebanon, moved to California and graduated from high school in San Jose. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints, Severson went on a mission to Chile four years after high school. By the time the two-year mission was done he was bilingual, which has been a big help in his police work. Severson says his mission was also critical in confirming that a life of service can give you a clearer perspective about one’s own life.
After a couple of years of college, he joined his brother and a friend at a small high-tech company. After 10 years he realized he wanted more variety and to get out from behind a desk. A job with the Oregon Department of Forestry led him to the outdoors, investigating forest fires, a role he found both challenging and enjoyable. He decided to apply to become a police officer, thinking that would combine all the things he had determined to be important to him — investigative work, a varied workday, and a chance to be of service.
Question: What are some of the things that make highways safer or more dangerous?
Answer: We all know the difference between Highway 34 and Highway 20. The many curves on Highway 34 make for more frequent accidents, but when there is an accident on Highway 20 it’s almost always at a higher speed and often more deadly.
I don’t have exact numbers, but traffic probably goes up 50 percent on the coast in the summer or even on any nice weekend day. Long lines develop behind slow moving vehicles which leads to very unsafe passing. If we see that happening, we try to get to the driver at the head of the line, but it’s often too dangerous for us to do. Whenever we can we stop the slow driver and explain what a mess he’s making.
It’s important to pay attention to the speed limits along the central coast, which change frequently. We get many complaints about speeding in Depoe Bay and Yachats. The 25 mph speed limit in those towns and in Waldport is critical to protect pedestrians, and because traffic is more congested within those small towns.
Q: What is a typical day like for you?
A: I monitor traffic, of course, either with a radar or by pacing a car that is going too fast. I prefer to be on the road, so I very seldom monitor speed from a parked position. Instead, I am using radar or pacing as I am patrolling. I also respond to calls, both from other troopers and from other policing agencies that might need help, especially the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and sometimes the Newport Police Department.
And there is paperwork. Paperwork is an important part of our job, and sometimes there is a lot of it. DUIIs (driving under the influence) generate the most. We have had body cams since 2021 and they help us make sure the reports are accurate. Our body cams turn on as soon as we turn on our lights. We can also turn them on manually if we haven’t turned on the lights.
I am often in the school classrooms. I like this because it gives children a chance to learn that police officers are approachable, and it gives me a chance to learn who they are and to sometimes give a little extra attention to those who need it.
Q: You handle many difficult situations. What type of setting makes you the most wary?
A: Any situation that is quiet makes all police officers wary — a quiet room, a quiet house, a quiet driver, a quiet accident. Voices and noise help us to figure out what is going on, and it’s more dangerous when we don’t have those cues.
Q: What do you like to do with your spare time?
A: One of my favorite hobbies is chess. I have been playing since I was a child, and as soon as I learned the game my big dream became winning a game against my father. I don’t remember exactly when that occurred … sometime in middle school, I think. I play a lot on chess.com. It’s a hugely successful website that my brother helped develop. I have also coached my two boys in basketball and flag football, and I play basketball on a community team. My family likes camping and jet skiing. We purchased some land south of Waldport recently, and now I enjoy visiting that land, planning for the house we’ll build there someday.
Q: What is the most frustrating thing about your job?
A: I see many people making the same mistakes repeatedly. I wish there was a way to help those people break the destructive cycles they are in. It is also frustrating to sometimes be treated with disrespect, but this really doesn’t happen too often. For every person who is disrespectful there are many who realize we are committed to making our community safe.
Q: Tell us a secret.
A: I have a couple of favorite hobbies that are almost the opposite of one another. I am an avid gamer, and regularly find time to play games like League of Legends. But I also love to spend time in my garden and greenhouse, growing all sorts of vegetables. I’ve already started getting that all going this year.
“5 Questions and a Secret” appears every other week on YachatsNews. Have a suggestion for a subject? Send your ideas to YachatsNews@gmail.com
- Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at kmoc8916@gmail.com
We appreciate your service and helping to keep our communities safe and friendly.