District 5 Troopers – Fort Vancouver.
Vancouver Autonomous Patrol Area – Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River.
Trooper Jonathan Hayden paying his respects to a fallen officer.
Overview
District 5 is situated in Southwestern Washington with headquarters in Vancouver. The district provides service in Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Lewis, and Skamania Counties. These consist of approximately 9,666 square miles of land, which includes two Interstate Highways and 27 State Routes. On these highways, the field units cover a total of 762 miles.
Detachments are located in Chehalis, Goldendale, Kelso, Morton, and Vancouver. There are approximately 172 employees assigned to law enforcement, traffic investigations, license fraud, narcotics investigations, vehicle inspections, communications, and support services. A crime laboratory is also located within district confines.
Key Measurements and Statistics
Successes of 2019
For the fourth straight year, our total collisions continue to decline in Southwest Washington. Since 2016, our total collisions are down 12 percent, and we experienced the lowest number of collisions occurring on our state routes and interstate highways in Southwest Washington over the last five years. Serious injury collisions in the district are also down 19 percent and have declined for the third straight year.
The district has a License Investigation Unit (LIU) that consists of commissioned personnel, administrative support staff, and volunteers who are primarily focused on ensuring Washington residents are compliant with vehicle licensing laws in our state. In Fiscal Year 2019, the LIU team in partnership with Department of Revenue (DOR) recovered an estimated $520,584 in lost revenue through Department of Licensing fees and DOR referrals.
What we are Planning for in 2020
The Fort Vancouver 4th of July Fireworks Show occurs annually in the district. This event draws an estimated 65,000 people to a celebration that was once referred to as the biggest fireworks display west of the Mississippi.
The Packwood Flea Market, first established in the 1970s, is one of the most popular flea markets in the northwest. This event occurs on both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and draws an estimated 40,000 attendees and 500 vendors to an area known as the Gateway to Mt. Rainier.