Washington State Patrol - District 6 POPS Page

District 6 Problem Oriented Public Safety

The State Patrol's style of community policing is called Problem Oriented Public Safety, or POPS. It is based on a philosophy of taking the concerns of the motoring public and addressing recurring problems. If a problem is identified by a trooper or citizen with a concern, the POPS trooper will work with other agencies and groups to develop the best possible solution to address the cause of the problem.

POPS Projects and Successes
Major Programs and Services
Contact the POPS Coordinator
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POPS Projects and Successes

The SR-97A Traffic Safety Corridor Project covered a 30-mile stretch of two-lane highway between Wenatchee and Chelan where statistics revealed a higher than average rate of collisions, particularly those caused by speed and DUI. A major public awareness effort as well as changes in enforcement, emergency medical response, and engineering have resulted in a significant decrease in collisions within the corridor. There were no DUI or speed-related fatalities during the term of the corridor project, and residual effects of the corridor’s action plan still continue.

A series of Spanish-language driver’s education classes were offered to adult Hispanic students in the Columbia Basin over a sustained period of time. Leaders of the Hispanic community were very pleased with the State Patrol’s proactive stance in educating Spanish-speaking drivers about traffic laws in an effort to reduce the number of violations caused from lack of understanding of the laws.

A process was developed to ensure the safety of motorists stranded or delayed by highway closures resulting from adverse weather conditions, avalanches, or collisions blocking mountain pass highways. Ellensburg employees worked with Department of Transportation (WSDOT) personnel and a consortium of community leaders to establish procedures that provide advance warning of deteriorating conditions and ensure that information about changing conditions is communicated to the public, and especially to those caught in backups. Additional Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) transmitters provide increased opportunities for motorists to monitor conditions while en route their destination. Variable message signs have been installed at strategic locations and are updated as conditions warrant. Web sites with real-time cameras provide instant access to weather conditions from computers with Internet access. Arrangements have been made with local Red Cross chapters and other local resources to provide emergency shelter and other necessities to persons stranded during prolonged closures.

The SR-17 Traffic Safety Corridor Project has been established in an effort to reduce collisions on a 23.5 mile stretch of SR-17 between Moses Lake and Othello in Grant County. Inattention, Failing to Yield, and Driving Over the Center Line are three primary driving behaviors that cause collisions in the corridor. A strong group of stakeholders is working to increase public awareness and change driver behaviors, in an effort to reduce serious injury and fatality collisions.

Major Programs and Services:

District 6 has led local efforts to establish child restraint inspection teams and organize child restraint safety clinics in Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Okanogan, and the Columbia Basin. The goal of the safety teams is to make the public more aware of child restraint issues such as the proper placement and adjustment of child safety seats within the vehicle as well as the correct steps when placing the child in the seat. This is done through organized car seat inspection clinics as well as educational seminars and public training forums. More than 98% of the seats inspected are improperly installed. In addition, approximately 10% either no longer meet safety requirements or have life-threatening recalls.

It is because of these facts that the safety teams have successfully provided more than 635 child seats (obtained by grants from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the Safety Restraint Coalition) to families that would otherwise not have been able to afford the protection. For more information concerning child passenger safety, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at www.nhtsa.dot.gov or the Washington State Safety Restraint Coalition at wssrc@bigfoot.com.

Two traffic safety task forces have been established: The Chelan/Douglas Traffic Safety Task Force and the Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force. Both task forces are comprised of representatives from a diverse group of law enforcement agencies who combine their resources and select problem areas where their joint efforts will improve public safety.

Ellensburg detachment personnel partnered with other local agencies and put on the “Every Fifteen Minutes” program in Ellensburg high schools shortly before prom and graduation in 2001. The program teaches high school students about DUI and seat belt safety by emphasizing the point that a person their age dies every 15 minutes in traffic collisions. In 2002, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, and Ephrata detachments are participating in the program.

In 2001, the Central Basin Task Force held simultaneous mock DUI collision scenes at five Grant County high schools. This was the largest mock scene presentation ever accomplished in the state. The re-enactment included response by 15 law enforcement agencies, six fire departments and ambulance services, Med-Star helicopter, the coroner, a local funeral home, and tow trucks. The mock scenes provided realistic DUI education to approximately 3,500 Grant County high school students. Students produced a videotape, which became an effective educational tool.

Contact the POPS Coordinator:

Lieutenant Scott Martin
2822 Euclid Avenue - Wenatchee WA 98801-5916
Phone: (509) 665-4013


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