8 minute read
LOCAL HERO
Humility Behind the Wheel North Dakota Highway Patrol Officer Gabe Irvis Serves Without Flash
WRITTEN BY: ALEXIS SWENSON PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
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North Dakota Highway Patrol Officer Gabe Irvis has always wanted to be a cop. In fact, he remembers telling his mom so at age seventeen. She dissuaded him from the career choice and after graduating high school, Irvis studied Business Administration. He lasted about one year before coming to terms with the fact that school was not for him. On a whim, Irvis enlisted in the Army National Guard on September 12, 2006 at 20 years old. Just 13 days later he shipped for boot camp.
“It looked like something I wanted to do. I liked wartime movies and stuff like that. I loved the atmosphere of boot camp; it looked like fun to me. And, I wanted to ship as soon as possible,” said Irvis.
After serving two years in the Army National Guard as a 21 Whiskey (Carpentry Masonry Specialist), Irvis transferred to the North Dakota Air National Guard where he served for 6 years as part of the Security Forces Squadron, the Air Force’s version of Military Police.
“When I transferred to the ND Air Guard, it kind of reignited that desire to be in law enforcement and I made a conscious decision to try to get into that field,” said Irvis.
In 2012, Irvis began working for the ND Highway Patrol while serving as a Guardsman on a part-time basis. As both jobs are huge commitments, Irvis decided to focus his efforts on one position and in 2014, he made the difficult decision to leave the ND National Guard.
“I was excited to get out, but I remember my last Guard drill where I turned in all my stuff that had been a part of me for the past 8 years. It was a big transition leaving and not having that be a part of my life,” said Irvis.
Life as a Trooper In his current role as a State Trooper, Irvis said the job is pretty much what people think it is. He makes a lot of traffic stops, does crash investigations, helps people who need help, and mostly maintains a visible presence on the roadway. He also works some criminal cases and DUI investigations as well as takes people to jail.
“It’s something different every day. I like getting to help people and knowing that you’re changing lives. It’s an honor to be there for people when they need you. That’s what I like about public service; just being there for people. I’m proud to be part of removing criminals from the roadways,” said Irvis.
Irvis cites debriefing as one of the greatest resources to cope with the harder parts of the job including memorable arrests and crash scenes. “We’re all professionals and all recognize that everybody handles it differently. We’ll do a critical incident debrief where we get together and talk it out. I think it’s helpful,” said
Irvis.
Irvis also strives to take advantage of the many opportunities to learn how to better carry out his role. In his work as a Standardized Field Sobriety Instructor, Irvis is privileged to create generational impact by teaching other law enforcement professionals how to accurately administer various sobriety tests to help evaluate psychophysical signs of impairment.
“It’s pretty cool to think that some of the people that I’m teaching could someday be teaching another class or that they’re utilizing skills to make the roadway safer. They’re going to be taking drunks off the road and hopefully having success in terms of conviction rates with this because of the tests,” said Irvis.
Moreover, Irvis worked for two years as a Certified Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) which helped further his skills in dealing with people, drugs and arrests. The DRE course teaches individuals how to identify controlled substances inside of people’s bodies through the evaluation of clinical signs of impairment.
Ivis likes to joke that, “The only thing flashy about me is the lights on top of my vehicle,” and he’s humbled to be the recipient of any award and recognition. Recent awards include the Luther Ford Salute to Law Enforcement sponsored by AM 1100 The Flag WZFG and being recognized internally by the agency for his efforts in terms of criminal arrests, drug arrests, and DUI enforcement.
For those interested in a career in law enforcement, Irvis suggests doing what he did—reaching out to the agency to set up a ride-along to get a better idea of the role of a State Trooper.
Saluting with Honor While a member of the ND Highway Patrol Honor Guard team, Irvis traveled to funerals for State Troopers in Colorado, Wisconsin, and northern ND to honor fallen patrol officers by paying respects to the individual and their family as well as playing “Taps” on the bugle at one funeral.
“I think it is very important for law enforcement agencies to pay their respects and to have a team that is able to, on a moment’s notice, go to another state or another part of the state for a funeral and pay their respects for the fallen members. The first funeral I was a part of was Officer Moszer’s funeral. That was unbelievable to be a part of. It was an honor, it was humbling, and it was probably one of the most powerful experiences that I’ll remember in my law enforcement career,” said Irvis.
Another memorable experience for Irvis is attending a funeral for Anthony Borostowski, a fallen State Trooper in WI. After saluting Borostowski, Irvis, along with other Troopers from various states, turned to pay his respects to the family.
“Borostowski’s dad gave me a hug and said, ‘My son was the epitome of squared away and when I saw you, I said, ‘My goodness— this guy is squared away, just like my son was’. That meant a lot to me. For this man on one of his darkest days to compare me to his son...It’s an honor to put on the uniform,” said Irvis.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Irvis has recently made the difficult decision to resign from the team. “That was hard for me to give up because I believe in the team and I believe in its purpose,” said Irvis.
"Borostowski’s dad gave me a hug and said, ‘My son was the epitome of squared away and when I saw you, I said, ‘My goodness—this guy is squared away, just like my son was’. That meant a lot to me. For this man on one of his darkest days to compare me to his son...It’s an honor to put on the uniform.” – Gabe Irvis
A Presidential Handshake Another unique experience Irvis is grateful to have had is when he was selected to meet President Trump. When traveling, President Trump often does meet and greets with various officers if time allows. Such was the case when President Trump recently visited Fargo, ND.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: GABE IRVIS
When initially asked by his supervisor if he would like to “take a picture with the President”, Irvis envisioned a hurried, blurry selfie with President Trump far in the background. He was more than a little surprised on the day of to find himself driving with Secret Service in the Presidential Motorcade and then sprinting into the building.
“We went into the back room and it was completely surreal. I could see him and thought, ‘Holy smokes. No way.’ It was an honor to shake his hand. Regardless of political affiliation, that’s something I will always be proud of and always take the opportunity to do—to shake the President’s hand,” said Irvis.
Off the Clock When he’s not on the road Irvis spends a lot of his time at, Metroflex, his favorite gym. He initially became a Metroflex member to train for a bodybuilding show and has quickly grown to love the gym.
"I’m living the good life. I chose a career that I’m passionate about. ” – Gabe Irvis
“Fitness has become an important part of my life. My job demands me to be physically fit and the people I serve demand me to be physically fit. My bodybuilding show days are over, but Metroflex will always be my home. The gym has so much energy, I love the workout equipment, the owners are fantastic, and it’s very military and law enforcement friendly,” said Irvis.
Beyond gym time, Irvis enjoys his sacred days off with his fiancé and two boys aged 11 and 10. “They are two incredibly different boys. One is quieter and reserved while the other is more outgoing. We do “men’s night” where we eat popcorn, watch Marvel movies, play video games, have Nerf gun wars—regular guy stuff. They’re easy; they’re like mini-mes,” said Irvis.
The Good Life For Irvis, the “good life” isn’t an unattainable far-reaching goal. He believes that we’re all responsible for our own happiness and can choose to create a good life which is exactly what he has done.
“I’m living the good life. I chose a career that I’m passionate about. I believe in what law enforcement does and believe in the critical part they play in the criminal justice system. I’m grateful to do it here in an area that is highly supportive of law enforcement at the community and state level. I have my health, my happiness, a beautiful fiance, and two handsome boys who have their health too. Outside of the weather, I love this area. It’s full of wonderful people,” said Irvis. •
