2017 Washington State Patrol Awards

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) awarded the 2017 District 6 Trooper of the Year honor to Trooper Jeff Anderson of Wenatchee.  The State Patrol’s Moses Lake Detachment 3 won District 6 “Detachment of the Year” for the second straight year.

Trooper Anderson was nominated as the District 6 Trooper of The Year by Sergeant Ryan Raymond and was unanimously selected by the District Awards Committee.  District 6 serves Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas and Grant Counties.

Trooper Anderson understands and supports the importance of Target Zero, which strives to have zero traffic related fatalities by 2030.  Trooper Anderson consistently leads District 6 in DUI apprehension, criminal arrests and focuses his time on collision causing violations.  He is member of the Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team and recently became a Field Training Officer.  He also serves as a member of District 6’s Public Information Officer and Recruiting team.

Trooper Anderson regularly organizes speed and traffic safety emphasis’ throughout Chelan and Douglas Counties in areas statistically identified as target enforcement areas.  Trooper Anderson is considered a leader amongst his peers and is often sought upon for guidance.

Trooper Anderson was hired by the WSP in January, 2007 and commissioned in April, 2008.  Trooper Anderson continues to exemplify the qualities and characteristics the State Patrol prides itself on.

Washington State Patrol’s Moses Lake Detachment 3 won District 6 “Detachment of the Year”.  Detachment 3 continues their strong efforts towards reducing fatality collisions, injury collisions and their overall performance throughout 2017.  The detachment saw a 33% reduction in fatality collisions in support of Target Zero, which strives to have zero traffic fatalities by 2030.  The detachment’s teamwork and commitment to both district and agency goals were clearly evident as they achieved high levels of performance.

The Detachment is led by Sergeant Marcus Smith and with his support and leadership, the detachment continues to make a significant difference to the citizens of Grant County.  Their efforts resulted in a 24% decrease in DUI collisions.  Detachment 3 continues to partner with the Columbia Basin Traffic Safety Task Force, Moses Lake Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office to conduct joint traffic safety emphases to focus on DUI, speed, distracted driving and occupant restraint enforcement.

Detachment 3 consistently provides superior quality work.  Detachment members serve in a variety of specialties to include: Certified Technical (collision) Specialists, Field Training Officers, Weapon Instructors, Washington State Patrol Troopers Association Representative, Rapid Deployment Force, Drug Recognition Experts, Executive Protection Unit, Certified Child Restraint Technicians and Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team members.

“When you consider the amount of specialty positions within the Detachment, the quality of work they produced is even more impressive” – Sergeant Marcus Smith.

Detachment Members:

Sergeant Marcus Smith #148

Trooper Spike Unruh #970

Trooper Sage Schafer #1193

Trooper Chris Kottong #680

Trooper Jeremy Weber #1100 (Transferred to Wenatchee in November, 2017)

Trooper Benjamin Borgman #429

Trooper Connor Paysse #555

Trooper Collin Cumaravel #738

Trooper Michael Valentine #701

The two Moses Lake Detachments cover all of Grant County and portions of Douglas, Okanogan and Adams Counties.