POCATELLO — With nearly 40 trooper positions open statewide, the Idaho State Police is inviting the public to a hiring open house aimed at reaching people who may never have considered a career in law enforcement.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Idaho State Police office at 5255 S. Fifth Ave. in Pocatello. The informational session will be held in the building’s training room, where troopers will lay out everything from the agency’s structure to the physical demands of the academy.

“A lot of times people don’t see themselves as a trooper,” said Lt. Todd Orr, one of the primary organizers of the event. “They’re totally capable of doing it, more than qualified, but they’ve never even thought of it as a career path.”

The state police has held similar open houses periodically over the past five years. Orr said this particular open house is meant to serve the entire agency, not just the Pocatello district, so a candidate interested in living in a remote post such as Coeur d’Alene can also get answers about positions in that area.

The session covers the agency’s size and regional districts, along with lesser-known assignments such as executive protection details for the governor. Troopers will also walk through the hiring process, which includes an online exam, a personal history statement submitted to human resources and in-person testing offered in Coeur d’Alene, Pocatello or Boise. In-person testing in Pocatello begins Oct. 4.

Orr said troopers will explain physical requirements, including timed runs and a set number of push-ups, in detail so candidates aren’t caught off guard on test day.

Applicants who make it through hiring move on to the academy, which begins Jan. 19 and runs into June. The Idaho State Police academy is considerably longer than the roughly 12-week Idaho POST Academy required of most local agencies. Graduates then complete 14 weeks of field training before patrolling on their own.

The process from application to working autonomously takes close to a year. Orr said the agency invests heavily in salary, equipment and housing for recruits, and by the end of the academy, nearly a quarter of them will leave before graduating.

Orr said that’s why the open houses can be helpful, because they outline the expectations, requirements and long-term commitment involved, including time away from family.

For those who stick with it, Orr said the payoff includes a level of autonomy he hasn’t found elsewhere in law enforcement.

Around 70 percent of trooper work is self-initiated, Orr said, letting troopers pursue drug interdiction and DUI enforcement rather than simply answering calls. The job also is not limited to highway patrol. Troopers respond to fires, homicides, search-and-rescue calls and other incidents statewide, often supplementing local agencies that are stretched thin.

Troopers can also specialize once they gain experience, moving into investigations, commercial vehicle safety, drone operations, tactical medicine, firearms instruction or high-speed driving instruction. Remote postings, such as one opening soon in Island Park, come with state-owned housing in areas where troopers might otherwise struggle to afford a home.

Orr’s message to would-be applicants is not to count themselves out before applying.

“People are much more capable than they think they are,” Orr said. “If you think you’re capable, come listen, because likely you’re capable.”

Those interested in attending can show up Saturday without registering in advance.