Jordan Smith
As a child growing up in West Sunbury, Jordan Smith had one goal: to be a state trooper.
“I knew a former trooper, he got me interested … he was a friend of my grandfathers,” he said.
After a long road, Smith accomplished that goal in July 2018, and now works as a state trooper out of the Kittanning barracks.
According to his mother, Joy Smith, Jordan’s pursuit of the badge began at age 8.
“It’s what he’s always wanted to be. It was always ‘trooper,’ it was never ‘police officer,’” she said. “It made him easy to raise. In his teen years, he knew there was an endgame. The partying never happened; he never got in trouble.”
Smith was raised in Butler County, attending Dassa McKinney Elementary School and graduating from Moniteau High School in 2011.
Elizabeth Blair said her son and Smith went to school together growing up, and reiterated that law enforcement has been on his mind quite a while.
“This has been his lifelong dream from the time he was little,” she said. “He pursued it and pursued it … He’s a very good state trooper.”
Smith graduated from Muskingum University in Ohio with a degree in criminal justice, Blair said. He played football during those college years.
After college, Smith worked for his family’s plastering business until he was accepted into the academy, which took almost three years, according to Joy.
“It took him, I think, three tries to get in, considering he had no military service (experience). When you go in, if you have a family member who was a trooper, you get points. He had no one but an older gentleman who was a trooper, guiding him,” she said.
“The excitement was phenomenal,” Blair said of Jordan’s acceptance into the academy.
“It took about a year going through the process and getting hired, getting into the academy,” Smith said.
When asked what the journey to becoming a trooper was like for Smith, he chuckled.
“The academy is an experience,” he said.
Joy said it also had a nerve-wracking effect on her, but she knows it’s what her son was meant to do.
“He’s had the look of a trooper … he had this mean look to him, but he was a very caring child,” she said. “He loves people, he loves his job. He’s a caring person. In his world, he’s always had right and wrong, he’s a rule follower.”
Blair described Smith as a “burly teddy bear” who is very reserved.
“He’s just very family-oriented … He comes out every day to see his grandfather and his mom,” she said. “He’s a very well-rounded, good kid.”
Joy added that her son loves the camaraderie that comes with being a trooper.
“The brotherhood of the state police, that plays a lot into him,” she said. “I’m just so proud of him. His sister is so proud. Everyone is so proud.”
Smith said he enjoys his job, especially working with people.
“The best part of my job is being engaged in the community,” he said.
