Overview
The Risk Management Division (RMD) supports all units of the Washington State Patrol (WSP) with certain legal, audit, strategic planning/performance, risk, records, internal control and continuous improvement processes. It comprises the Audit, Public Records, and Litigation & Strategic Performance Sections.
Key Measurements and Statistics
RMD measures performance related to its goals in several ways. Examples of key measurements include:
Public Records Section
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- Disclosure Unit: In 2021, the WSP received 15,696 public disclosure requests and closed more than 54 percent of them within 5 days of receipt. The RMD Disclosure Unit processed 85 percent of the agency’s disclosure requests.
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- Video Unit: The eight staff of the RMD Video Unit uploaded and processed 566,670 videos (112,818 hours of video) from 539 troopers, trooper cadets and sergeants. They placed 1,420 video holds for litigation and investigations, and exported 36,606 videos for 13,767 discovery and public disclosure video requests.
Audit Section
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- Internal audit staff completed 100 percent of the 67 annually required audits in 2021.
- Internal audit staff collaborated with commanders agency-wide to assess internal control risks and based on their input, completed four agency-wide audits in 2021.
- The Audit Section facilitated a 2021 Accountability Audit by the State Auditor’s Office (SAO), and worked with agency contracting staff to develop an appropriate data sharing agreement for category 3 and 4 data for external audits.
Litigation and Strategic Performance Section
In 2021, WSP settled 45 tort claims. The amount of damages claimed totaled $5.2 million dollars. Through RMD’s careful claims management and collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General and the investigators at the Department of Enterprise Services, WSP only paid 17 percent of the claimed amount ($927,688).
Successes of 2021
The division led the effort to achieve Tri-Arc Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Tri-Arc Accreditation is the highest level of law enforcement accreditation available anywhere in the world and the WSP is only the sixth state agency to receive this important recognition of a commitment to excellence in law enforcement, training and communications.
The division conducted 100 percent of the 67 required annual audits, including 34 evidence audits, 12 cash/imprest audits, and 21 credit card audits. In addition to the annual audits, the division also completed four agency audits from the 2021 Internal Audit Plan approved by the Chief. These audits included the 2021 Payroll Controls Audit, 2021 Commissioned Overtime Audit, 2021 IT Governance Audit, and the 2021 IT Security Compliance Audit. Also, the division worked with the SAO to facilitate the 2021 Accountability Audit, which resulted in no findings. Finally, the division collaborated with agency contracting staff to create a comprehensive data sharing agreement to safeguard data.
The division facilitated collaboration among all districts and several divisions to review and standardize electronic evidence labeling and recordkeeping for fatality investigations, which are critical to criminal justice.