Washington State Patrol
Washington State Patrol | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | WSP |
Motto | Service With Humility |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1921 |
Employees | 2,200 (as of 2016)[1] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Washington (state), USA |
Washington State Patrol Districts | |
Size | 71,362 square miles (184,830 km2) |
Population | 7,288,000 (2016 est.)[1] |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Olympia, Washington |
Troopers | 1,100 (as of 2016)[1] |
Civilian employees | 1,100 (as of 2016)[1] |
Agency executive |
|
Units | List
|
Bureaus | List
|
Website | |
www.wsp.wa.gov |
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the
State Patrol commissioned personnel, known as "troopers", have jurisdiction throughout Washington, with the exception of
History
The Washington State Highway Patrol was created by statute in 1921 to provide traffic enforcement on the state's principal motorways.
By the early 1960s the State Patrol had established a reputation as the state's most elite law enforcement agency, with more than 400 applicants annually applying for about 25 openings, and an annual turnover of about five percent.[3] In 1965, the State Patrol was given sole jurisdiction of Interstate 5 through Seattle by the Seattle Police Department after previous collaboration.[4]
In 1963 the Washington State Patrol began referring to its commissioned personnel as "troopers" instead of "patrolmen".[5] The change was made to standardize practices in Washington with those of other states.[5] In 1975 Cathy Swanson and Carolyn Pemberton, the first two female troopers, were commissioned.[6] Twenty years later, in 1995, the first female chief of the State Patrol, Annette Sandberg, was appointed.[7]
Eight troopers faced termination in a fake diploma scam discovered in 2009. Troopers who had earned a two-year degree were entitled to a 2% pay raise and those who had earned a bachelor's were entitled to a 4% pay raise. Eight troopers, who were identified during the course of a federal investigation into a diploma mill, were discovered to have submitted fake diplomas along with applications for a pay increase. A State Patrol spokesman reported that the agency intended to fire the troopers.[8]
Organization
Administration
The State Patrol is administered by a chief who is appointed by the
Specialized units
Specialized units of the State Patrol include SWAT, charged with providing tactical support in high-risk situations; the Rapid Deployment Forces, composed of five
The State Patrol also is responsible for management of the Washington Fusion Center, which coordinates anti-terrorist and anti-organized crime operations among federal, state, and local law enforcement in Washington.[citation needed]
Executive Services Section
The Executive Services Section consists of the Executive Protection Unit, charged with the protection of the Governor and his family, and the Governor-Elect; the Governor's Mansion Detachment, responsible for securing the grounds of the executive residence; and the Capitol Campus Detachment, which provides law enforcement on the 435-acre portion of the city of Olympia in which the primary government facilities, including the Washington State Capitol and the Temple of Justice, are located.[citation needed]
Vessel and Terminal Security (VATS)
Vessel and Terminal Security (VATS) is divided into three operating regions – Bremerton, Marysville, and Seattle – and is tasked with providing shipboard law enforcement on
Personnel
Training
Candidates to become state troopers first undergo seven weeks of "arming training" which is conducted at the 190-acre Washington State Patrol Academy in
Following completion of the 33 weeks of arming training and the Trooper Basic Cadet Course, candidates are administered the Troopers' Oath in the rotunda of the Washington State Capitol by the Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court and then commissioned as peace officers by the Governor of Washington.[12]
The Washington State Patrol Academy is used to exclusively train State Patrol troopers; all other law enforcement officers in the state are trained by the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Law Enforcement Academy. However, the CJTC utilizes the State Patrol Academy and its EVOC instructors for its nationally acclaimed emergency vehicle operations course.[13] Unlike the CJTC academy, the WSP academy is a residential academy and cadets are barracked on-campus during training.
Equipment
Uniforms
Commissioned personnel of the Washington State Highway Patrol began wearing uniforms – consisting of grey jackets and riding breeches with brown leather accessories – in 1924, three years after the force was established. Prior to this personnel wore civilian attire with metal badges.
In 2007 the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors named the Washington State Patrol the "Best-Dressed State Law Enforcement Agency" in the United States.[14] The State Patrol adopted a modified duty uniform in 2017.[15] Though visually similar to the State Patrol's former uniforms, the new uniforms were constructed of a breathable, sweat-wicking fabric, instead of wool.[15] According to the State Patrol, the modified uniform was adopted as it was easier to clean and more comfortable to wear.[15]
Vehicles
In the early 1980s, the State Patrol operated the Dodge Diplomat, with several Ford Mustangs arriving in 1983.[16] From the late 1980s to 2012, the Ford Crown Victoria was its primary vehicle.[17] Beginning in 2012, this model began to be cycled out in favor of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV. The Patrol currently uses Ford Police Package Explorers, harkening back to their original use panel vans for patrol duties.[citation needed]
The State Patrol also operates two Bearcat armored vehicles for tactical operations.[18]
As of 2017, the Aviation Section managed a fleet of seven fixed wing aircraft which operate under the call sign "Smokey".[19]
Communications
Washington State Patrol has its own statewide analog, non-trunked, repeater-based, VHF radio network that covers the state. Towers for this network can be seen near highways and look like cell sites, but with longer antennas. However, as of January 1, 2013, all radio systems used by WSP will move to a conventional digital format called P25 and all old analog equipment will be taken out of service. In August, 2004, one of these towers near Vancouver, Washington was damaged by an arsonist, taking out Washington State Patrol communications in Clark County.[20]
Washington State Patrol dispatchers handle statewide law enforcement dispatching and radio communications for the Washington State Patrol, Fish & Wildlife Police Officers of the
Laboratories
Washington State Patrol operates seven crime laboratories: full-service labs in Seattle, Tacoma, Marysville and Cheney, and limited-service laboratories in Vancouver, Kennewick and Tumwater. The Washington State Patrol crime lab system provides service to all city and county law enforcement agencies in the state.[citation needed]
In 2021, samples from the Washington State Patrol Toxicology Lab found residual levels of cocaine, meth, and other drugs within the lab. The sampling was conducted after the lab disclosed a second false positive for meth that year, although false positives had turned up in test results since a lab expansion in 2018. The contamination was only disclosed to legal defense groups in August 2020 through a potential impeachment disclosure, which included email exchanges from July 2019 in which the agency had notified its accreditation agency of the contamination. One judge who presided over a case involving false positives ruled that the lab performing testing in a contaminated area amounted to "gross governmental mismanagement".[21][22]
Fallen officers
32 commissioned personnel of the State Patrol, and its predecessor the Highway Patrol, have died in the line of duty.[23] Patrolman Vernon G. Fortin was the first killed, dying in 1923 following a motorcycle crash. Five personnel have fallen to gunfire; Patrolman John H. Gulden was the first to die of gunshot, which he received while attempting to apprehend a pair of robbers in 1942.[23]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "About Us". Washington State Patrol. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "History". wsp.wa.gov. Washington State Patrol. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- ^ Barr, Robert A. (July 21, 1965). "State Patrol Alone To Police Freeway". The Seattle Times. p. 1.
- ^ a b c "State Troopers Get New Title with New Hats". Port Angeles Evening News. Associated Press. April 24, 1963. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- ^ "Patrolpersons Hit Road". Daily News. July 3, 1975. Retrieved February 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- ^ "Governor's Appointment of Woman to Head State Patrol Called Great Day". Vancouver Sun. Associated Press. April 6, 1995. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- ^ "Washington State Patrol Recommends Firing Eight Troopers". KUOW News. August 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - State of Washington. Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Mikkelson, Drew (August 23, 2017). "WSP cadets get wet as part of training". KING-TV. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ "2018 State Patrol Class Includes Local Trooper". KXRO-AM. June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "WSP Academy". wsp.wa.gov. Washington State Patrol. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- Seattle Times. June 13, 2013. Archivedfrom the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ "Wash. troopers named best dressed". NBC News. Associated Press. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Bellingham Herald. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Ledford, David (October 3, 1983). "Patrol adds 135-mph car to fleet". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 5. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "Washington State Patrol Replacing 600 Crown Vics With Caprice PPV". Government Fleet News. February 13, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ "Tactical Armored Vehicle Directory". wstoa.org. Washington State Tactical Officers Association. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "WSP Annual Report 2017" (PDF). wsp.wa.gov. Washington State Patrol. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "story". KATU TV. Archived from the original on January 7, 2005.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (25 July 2021). "Washington State Patrol's toxicology lab ran tests in office contaminated by meth, possibly jeopardizing thousands of cases". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (23 August 2021). "More meth, cocaine contamination found at Washington state toxicology lab". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Washington State Patrol". odmp.org. Officer Down Memorial Page. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.