August 04, 2020
Olympia, WA – With heavy hearts, unwavering respect, and enduring appreciation, the Washington State Patrol announces the memorial service for fallen trooper Justin R Schaffer. Trooper Schaffer’s memorial will be held tomorrow, August 5th in Centralia, WA. He will be afforded full law enforcement tribute in formal services with limited attendance capacity due to state and county health regulations. The public is invited to watch the proceedings via livestream and commercial television broadcasts facilitated by KING5 News and TVW.
Memorial Information:
The services are set to begin at 1:00 p.m. The location of the memorial service and exact route of the processional will be released to the public at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday by email from this office.
Law enforcement and first responder agencies will begin mobilizing at 8:00 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. processional. The processional will move along Northbound I-5 in the Centralia area with care taken to minimize impact on the traveling public. However, those in the Centralia area should plan for some traffic delays during this period.
Viewing the Proceedings
Due to limitations to gathering size, the public is invited to view the proceedings remotely. A one-camera basic livestreaming may be viewed on the Washington State Patrol Twitter page @wastatepatrol. The Washington cable news channel TVW will offer full proceedings at tvw.org. KING5 will be providing a pool feed for broadcast and coverage by other regional media outlets.
Trooper Justin R Schaffer – A Life of Service and Sacrifice
Trooper Schaffer was killed in the line of duty, March 24, 2020, at the age of 28 after serving 7 years
with the Washington State Patrol. He was fatally struck by a vehicle while placing spike strips down
on Interstate 5 in Chehalis. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, his mother Sheila and father Glenn,
his brother Brandon, and his K9 partner Frankie. Our hearts go out to this grieving family and we
recognize the unique sacrifice they have offered to our state as Justin’s father, Glenn is currently the
Chief of Police in the City of Chehalis.
Trooper Schaffer was born on January 30, 1992 in Glenwood Springs, CO. He graduated from Adna
High School in Adna, Washington. Justin received a degree in Criminal Justice from Centralia
College.
He began working for the Washington State Patrol on November 12, 2013, as a Trooper Cadet
assigned to the Property Management Division.
On January 13, 2014, Trooper Schaffer started his training with the 27th Arming Class. On February
14, 2014, he continued his training with the 103rd Trooper Basic Training Class and was
commissioned on September 16, 2014, assigned to Morton. On September 1, 2016, he was
assigned as a certified Drug Recognition Expert. On November 10, 2018, he completed K9 training
and was a certified K9 handler to his partner “Frankie.” On December 13, 2018, Trooper Schaffer
transferred to Chehalis.
WSP History
Justin is the 30th member of the Washington State Patrol family to die in the line of duty in the
agency’s 99 years of service to this state. WSP Chief John R. Batiste remarked, “In his last moments
on the earth, he was wearing the uniform of the Washington State Patrol. We must pause and reflect
on the character of each of the men and women we have lost over the years. Like Justin, they each
served as one of the state’s guardians and each day of their work, they walked into unknown dangers
with well-known courage.” He added, “We will never forget him. Never…”
Media Information
Attached please find family preferred photo for distribution. A separate media announcement with
greater logistical detail will be released Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. To address security
concerns, we ask that details of time and location be held close until that time.
KING5 is serving as broadcast pool leader. Media outlets wishing to liaison with KING5 should
contact Ryan Gamradt at 206-448-3939 or Drew Mikkelsen at dmikkelsen@king5.com .
Special Statement
The Washington State Patrol would also like to offer our condolences and support to the family,
friends and colleagues of Officer Jonathan Shoop of the Bothell Police Department. Officer Shoop
was recently lost in the line of duty and his services were held earlier today in Bothell. As our
community, our state, and our country say their final farewells to these two fine young men, let us
remember they gave their last and fullest measures of devotion to serve and protect us all. We offer
humble tribute as we were bettered by their service and honored by their sacrifice.
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