Trooper refl ects after nearly
three decades on the job
By Patrick McArdle
fter almost 30 years on the job,
the last day would be special for
anyone.
But for Lt. Reg Trayah, June 8 was
not only his last day in the Vermont State
Police, it was also the 28th wedding
anniversary for Trayah and Julie, his wife.
Trayah said Julie is the “reason I have been
able to be as successful as I have been in
my career.”
“Could I stay longer? Yeah I could. But
being able to retire on my 28th wedding
anniversary, it’s kinda special. Especially
because we all talk about all the stuff that
we’ve done and what have you, but the
one thing that gets forgotten is the support
system,” he said. “My wife is one of the
strongest people I know. When I’m getting
called out at all times at night and running
A
out the door, doing this, doing that, she’s
taking care of everything else.”
Trayah has risen through the ranks after
joining the Vermont State Police, or VSP,
in August 1991.
Trayah spent about seven years as a
road trooper and then had the opportunity
to spend three years, about a year and
a half each, with the Drug Enforcement
Administration drug task force and the
Northern Drug Task Force.
He spent about seven years each as
a sergeant at the Shaftsbury barracks of
the Vermont State Police in the Bureau of
Criminal Investigations, where he worked
on all the major cases that came through
the area; and as a lieutenant, which made
him the station commander at Shaftsbury.
Trayah will be fi nishing his career as a BCI
lieutenant, where he’s in charge of all the
detectives out of the New Haven, Rutland
and Shaftsbury barracks.
A Vermonter, born and raised in
Georgia, Vermont, Trayah said his interest
in becoming a trooper was so great, he
went right to the source.
“Right after high school, I wanted to
go into law enforcement so I went to the
St. Albans barracks and inquired. At that
time, I’m 18 years old. They basically told
me, ‘Son, you’re too young. Come back
and see us when you’re 21.’”
Because his father and grandfather had
been in the military, Trayah decided to
enlist and became a military policeman
stationed in West Germany. When he
got back to the states, he spent a year
working for the Vermont Department of
Corrections, until he got a chance to join
the VSP.
THANK YOU to local law enforcement
for keeping our community safe!
R EGIONAL
A
MBULANCE S ERVICE , I NC .
275 Stratton Road, Rutland, VT 05701
#VTJOFTTt&NFSHFODZPSt'BY
“Serving People 1st with Pride, Proficiency and Professionalism”
8 • RUTLAND HERALD HOMETOWN HEROES JULY 2019