Their job is to keep Arizona roads safe. In order to do that, Department of Public Safety State Troopers have to be ready for anything, and do a lot more than issue a few tickets every day.
KGUN9's Max Darrow and photojournalist Chris Miracle spent a day with DPS Troopers Oscar Reyna and Ben Castillo to get a first-hand look at what they face, every day. The two troopers are currently stationed in Santa Cruz County, covering 1,238 square miles of the state.
"Since we're so close to the border, we get a lot of weapons and money going south, stolen vehicles going south," Castillo said. "Then, in turn, we also get a lot of drugs going north up into Tucson."
Castillo's spent three years with the agency. He quickly came to learn that troopers do a lot more than make traffic stops. However, he estimates making anywhere from 8-15 traffic stops per shift.
"Anything that the public on the interstate would need, we can do," he said. "So if we need to change a tire, we'll change a tire. If we need to give somebody a ride to get gasoline, we can do that too."
During the ride-along, a brush fire broke out in the median on I-19. Lights and sirens on, Trooper Castillo headed to the scene to help out. His original job there was to help with firefighting efforts until he was needed to direct traffic or continue on with his patrol.
The troopers ride alone, day and night, according to Castillo.
"During the week from Monday through Friday, we'll try to have 3 troopers in the morning and 3 at night," he said. "Weekends are a little bit different, anywhere from one for the county to two. Usually, it's one in the morning and two in the afternoon. Sunday, just one on each shift."
Because of this, backup isn't always a quick call away for these troopers. They have to handle many situations on their own. If they do need backup, they often have to rely on other agencies.
"Our closest response would be Border Patrol," Castillo said. "Border Patrol is always willing to help us." 
Trooper Reyna typically patrols at night. Safety is paramount, especially since he's on his own most of the time.
"Border Patrol is really good about it," he said. "If they see us on a stop, even if we don't call for it, they'll stop with us just to make sure that we're okay."
When it comes to making a traffic stop, there's a lot more than meets the eye, according to both State Troopers. The first impression and interaction will often dictate how smoothly things will go, according to Reyna. With that in mind, he says he always tries to make people feel comfortable, respected, and relaxed.
"Every single traffic stop is different," Castillo said. "It could be somebody's grandma, or it could be somebody that just killed somebody and has a weapon."
Reyna has a routine for every single traffic stop, to allow him to come up with the right approach, examine the situation, and ensure his own safety.
"I go around my patrol vehicle's back, behind it. Once I approach the vehicle, I approach it at a wide angle, I don't get too close to the car right away, and I keep my hand on my gun. I don't draw my gun, but it's ready to go in case I have to," Reyna said. "Once you run their name, you can usually see what type of person you are dealing with."
It takes serious training to become a DPS State Trooper, there's so much to learn that it can't happen overnight, or over the course of a few weeks. It's a grueling, jam-packed 30-week long academy, according to Castillo.
"Not everybody is made for this type of job," he said.
But the reward at the end of the academy, other than earning the new rank, comes with putting on the iconic, "Campaign Hat."
"As soon as we put that hat on, there was just such a sense of pride in the room," Castillo said. "When you see a State Trooper on the side of the road, what you see is the hat. If you put the hat on, it's business. A lot of people respect you because of that hat."
Both Castillo and Reyna take an immense amount of pride in keeping Arizona roads safe. With about a decade of prior law enforcement experience between the two of them, they both saw DPS Troopers as a special kind of law enforcement officials.
They're tasked with a lot, they're often out there all alone, and they do much more than writing tickets. They wear their hats with pride and are always ready to do what they need to do to keep Arizona roads safe.
If you're interested in learning how to become an AZ DPS State Trooper, visit the careers section of azdps.gov.
