The Washington State Patrol Academy is located in a rural setting on the Olympic Peninsula, approximately 25 miles north of Olympia, Washington, just off of U.S. Highway 101.

The training complex, initially dedicated in 1969, is situated amid 190 acres of evergreen forests with occasional vistas of the Olympic Mountains. Facilities include an administration building, dormitories that accommodate 96 live-in students, classrooms and conference rooms, a multi-purpose building with a gymnasium and training tank/pool, a kitchen and dining hall, an outdoor firing range, a driver training course, and an auto shop. The complex can accommodate up to 120 students each day for training and/or meetings.

Following a rigorous selection process, trooper cadets attend a 26-week basic training course. After successful basic, cadets trade their classrooms for eight weeks of practical instruction with experienced training officers throughout the state. The reward for successfully completing the classroom and practical phases of training: graduation and commissioning ceremonies. As commissioned troopers, they launch their careers by going to specific assignments in the Patrol's eight districts.

The Academy is known for unique types of training. One is water safety, where a motor vehicle is submerged into a training tank and used in underwater rescue exercises. Another is the 2.7-mile emergency vehicle drive course, one of the finest in the country. Nationally recognized, the course stays in almost constant use.

In addition to trooper basic, the Academy supports training in communications, firearms, commercial vehicle enforcement, first aid, basic supervision, management, and other fields related to law enforcement.

Collision investigation is one of the most notable courses offered at the Academy. The training remains on the cutting edge of technology, investigative procedures, and techniques. Washington State troopers are nationally recognized as experts in the field because of ongoing advances in the program and refresher training for field personnel. The Total Station Survey is a hallmark of the training and covers basic, advanced, technical, and reconstruction levels of collision investigation.

Young adults who are focusing on careers in criminal justice attend the Academy each year from communities throughout the state. In addition, Academy staff volunteer in programs that serve the local area.

A new memorial was unveiled in 2004 at the WSP Training Academy located in Shelton. The new memorial is in honor of the 26 Washington State Patrol Officers who have died in the line of duty.

To receive more information or to arrange a visit, call or write to the Washington State Patrol Academy at the phone number or address listed below.

Washington State Patrol Academy
631 W Dayton-Airport Rd
Shelton, WA 98584-8945
(360) 426-1661

Directions to Academy: From Interstate 5 in Olympia, take Exit 104 (Ocean Beaches) to Highway 101. Travel approximately 6 miles northwest on 101, then take the Shelton/Port Angeles/Highway 101 exit to your right. Continue driving north on Highway 101 for about 17 miles -- past the three Shelton exits, the Mason County fairgrounds and Sanderson Airfield -- to SR 102 (Dayton-Airport Road), where you will turn left. (A sign is posted before the intersection indicating the State Patrol Academy/Washington Corrections Center turnoff.) Go west approximately 1/2 mile to the Academy entrance, which is on your left. Watch for the sign that says WSP Academy/Shelton Detachment.