Trooper stops vehicle on I-5 near Lynnwood, September 2019.
Medal of Honor Ceremony at State Capitol Building, May 2019.
Motorcycle Escort training in Bellevue, May 2019.
Overview
The Field Operations Bureau (FOB) Headquarters (HQ) administratively oversees field operations for the Washington State Patrol’s eight field districts. Headquarters assumes the day to day responsibilities for projects and tasks to support the field force in achieving their goals and objectives. Headquarters also maintains several programs and external partnerships to improve public safety on the highways and in the community.
Within the FOB Headquarters is the Research, Analysis, and Mapping (RAM) Section who helps support the agency in achieving the priorities by providing tactical, strategic, administrative and operational analysis. This section is also continuously analyzing data and emerging trends in an effort to reduce traffic related collisions and loss of life.
Key Measurements and Statistics
In 2019, FOB troopers:
- Investigated 44,750 collisions
- Made 979,569 contacts
- Answered 202,775 calls for service
- Removed 15,270 impaired drivers
- Contacted 22,293 distracted drivers
Successes of 2019
In 2019, FOB Headquarters coordinated the Bump Stock Buyback Program for the state of Washington in response to a legislative mandate that banned these devices as of February 29, 2019, and required they be collected before March 25, 2019. FOB Headquarters coordinated with the eight field districts to host two buyback events in each district. FOB successfully collected and destroyed 1,000 bump stock.
In August 2019, FOB HQ and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) coordinated, procured, and deployed Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs) and computers to troopers who are collision certified technical specialists in order to reduce roadway closure times associated with major collision investigations. A total of 54 troopers across the state were trained and assigned UAVs.
In March 2019, the FOB RAM Section designed and implemented a data analysis application using Microsoft Power BI. The application refreshes and updates data daily and can be accessed by any employee within the Washington State Patrol. The purpose behind this application is to assist the field force, from the front lines to the command levels, in making strategic data driven decisions on when and where to deploy resources to drive down fatality and injury collisions.
In June 2019, FOB HQ coordinated the selection, training, and graduation of four new motorcycle troopers who were deployed across the state.
Throughout 2019 FOB HQ coordinated the following statewide High Visibility Enforcement emphases patrols and Focus of Effort campaigns to continuously support our agency’s goal of making people safe on Washington roadways:
- Distracted Driving
- Move, Over Slow Down
- On the Road, Off the Phone
- 4/20 Impaired Driving Emphasis
- Click it or Ticket
- Cinco de Mayo
- Paradiso
- Euro Car Rally
- HoopFest
- It’s a Fine Line Motorcycle emphasis
- Water Follies
- DUI Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
- Oyster Run
- Oyster Fest
- WSU Thanksgiving Break
- Littering/Secure Your Load
FOB has five regional teams who are trained in all hazards response capability for civil disturbances, demonstrations, crowd control, critical infrastructure protection, and other situations to restore law and order as well as to protect life and property. The teams are referred to as Rapid Deployment Force teams, and have deployed four times in 2019 at the following demonstrations:
- Capitol Campus Demonstration
- Vancouver Demonstration
- Two Bangor Naval Base Demonstrations
- Everett Demonstration