Overview
District 2 serves King County with over 2.2 million residents who traverse through some of the most highly congested Interstates and State Routes in all of Washington State. Providing a safe motoring environment and reducing serious injury collisions rests on a dedicated team of nearly 180 troopers, sergeants, administrative personnel, communication officers, and command staff, all well versed in responding to a variety of routine and emergency situations which impact traffic safety operations.
Key Measurements and Statistics
Successes of 2021
The most significant success for District 2 in 2021 was the formation of the Regional Street Racing Task Force, which brought multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the region together in an effort to address the dangerous takeovers of freeways, intersections, and parking lots in a more coordinated and unified way.
These illegal events put law enforcement and the motoring public in dangerous situations as the participants and observers had become increasingly aggressive to include damaging police vehicles. District 2 experienced multiple losses of life across the region, including two women during a street racing event in south King County.
The street racing task force focused on the following:
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- Visibility and deterrence, designed to deter these gatherings from happening in the first place using real time intelligence
- Dispersing these groups in a coordinated and safe manner
- When sufficient resources allowed, engaging and arresting those engaged in this dangerous activity
In close collaboration with the Kent Police Department and the Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC), the Street Racing Task Force formed an investigative branch designed to identify those promoting these illegal events and holding the organizers accountable for their criminal conduct. As a result of a lengthy and comprehensive criminal investigation, one prolific promoter was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault for a racing event in Auburn where two young women were killed and a third seriously injured.
The task force used social media to gain information on when and where these events were taking place and deployed resources to disrupt and attempt to arrest participants, organizers and observers to deter further participation. The task force also worked closely with the King County Prosecutor’s Office which was in full support to bring charges for these events.
The below information is a recap of charges and arrests between March and October 2021:
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- A total of 650 charges filed with the King County Prosecutors Office on 69 suspects
- Two counts of vehicular homicide charges filed against the organizer
- A vehicular assault charge filed against the organizer
- Reckless driving
- Reckless endangerment
- Malicious mischief 3rd
- Disorderly conduct
The task force hopes to send a strong message to promoters, participants, and attendees alike that state and local law enforcement agencies intend to disrupt and arresting those that are engaged in this dangerous and illegal criminal behavior.
Additional Information and Resources
For those interested in a career with the WSP, please visit us at https://wsp.wa.gov/careers-with-wsp/ or contact our recruiter, Trooper Nolan Washington at nolan.washington@wsp.wa.gov.