BISMARCK — North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Kristjan Helgoe was recently named the 2021 Trooper of the Year by the North Dakota Motor Carriers Association (NDMCA). Helgoe serves the southeast region, stationed in Fargo, and is a Traffic Enforcement Trooper and is Assistant Coordinator for the NDHP K9 program. Helgoe has partnered with K9 Fia since 2014.
Trooper Helgoe graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2005 and then attended the UND Lake Region Peace Officer Training Program in Devils Lake. He began the NDHP Academy in August 2005 and was stationed in Lakota where he served until 2007. He transferred to Lisbon until 2008 and was then transferred to his current post in Fargo.
NDMCA’s Trooper of the Year award reflects the trucking industry’s appreciation for enhancing safety for those who depend on the highway for their livelihood. In a letter nominating him for the award, it was noted Trooper Helgoe is a valuable member of not only the NDHP but also the community he serves, “Trooper Helgoe's hard work and dedication have established strong relationships with local law enforcement agencies and other civic groups. As a canine handler he has made himself available to all area agencies, at any hour, to perform searches of vehicles and structures for illegal narcotics. He, along with his K9 partner Fia, have reached out to countless groups to spread a positive message of traffic safety and awareness.”
Trooper Helgoe has served the North Dakota Highway Patrol as a use of force instructor; a member of the DUI enforcement team with over 500 career DUI arrests; a member of the Emergency Response Team; and served as a less lethal munitions instructor. Helgoe was awarded the Vision Zero Officer of the Year award in May 2022 and recognized as a NDHP top ten trooper in Speed Enforcement, DUI Enforcement, Drug Enforcement, and Occupant Protection.
Other nominees for the 2021 award were Trooper Grant Lonski, southwest region; Trooper Jake Jones, southwest region; Trooper Preston Langer, northwest region; Trooper Jonathan Skalicky, southeast region; and Trooper Brandon Wade, Motor Carrier Operations.
