Overview
District 6 is situated in the north central part of the state with headquarters in Wenatchee. The district provides service in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, and Okanogan counties. Detachments are located in Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Okanogan, and Wenatchee. The Motor Carrier Safety Division Port-Of-Entry Facility is located on Interstate 90 near milepost 80, west of Cle Elum.
District 6 services 1,537 miles of interstate and state routes and assists with an additional 7,058 miles of county roads, when needed. There are 124 employees assigned to law enforcement, traffic investigations, auto theft, narcotics investigations, vehicle inspections, communications, and support services.
District 6 supports several large community events such as; the Ellensburg Rodeo, Leavenworth Oktoberfest, and Chief for a Day kicking off the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival, Omak Stampede, Gorge Concerts in George, and Winter Lighting Festival in Leavenworth.
District 6 is well known for its diverse beauty, vast agriculture, mountain ranges, water systems and year round recreational opportunities.
Key Measurements and Statistics
District 6 troopers:
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- Made more than 26,000 self-initiated contacts
- Answered more than 14,000 calls for service
- Assisted more than 6,500 motorists
- Investigated more than 2,700 collisions
- Arrested 546 impaired drivers
Successes of 2021
Fewer Serious Injury and Fatal Collisions
In 2021, District 6 had a slight reduction in collisions resulting in serious injury or death, in spite of operating with significantly fewer troopers than the previous year. Troopers used collision data to direct their work in high collision areas. The results were as follows: 15 percent reduction in fatal collisions, and 46 fewer speed related collisions.
Wildland Fire Response
District 6 experienced an active wildfire season with the Wenatchee area and Okanogan County each experiencing major fire events. In July 2021, the “Red Apple” fire burned in the foothills just north of the District 6 office. In addition, Okanogan County dealt with numerous wildland fires throughout the summer. The district worked to assist our local partners with evacuation notifications and road closures.
Winter Weather Impacts
The winter has proved to be quite significant. Forecasts predicted a heavier than normal snowfall during the winter. The total snowfall during the fourth quarter alone totaled 286 inches in the cascades (the five year average for that period is 148 inches).
The winter weather has greatly impacted the roadways. During the fourth Quarter of 2021, Interstate 90 was closed seven times, State Route 2 closed 12 times, and State Routes 97 and 821 once each time. These closures created large scale impacts to the communities we serve.
Additional Information and Resources:
For those interested in a career with the Washington State Patrol, please visit us at https://wsp.wa.gov/careers-with-wsp/.