District 5 Detachments

The Vancouver District includes the five counties located in southwest Washington: Clark, Skamania, Klickitat, Cowlitz, and Lewis. In addition to the district office located in Vancouver, there are four detachment offices located in Chehalis, Morton, Kelso, and Goldendale.

Select a link below for more information and the goals and objectives of each detachment.

Chehalis Detachment

Located in Lewis County the Chehalis patrol area comprises the entire west end of Lewis County. Its area ranges from the Lewis/Pacific County line west of Pe Ell on SR-6 to the Onalaska and Salkum areas on SR-508 and SR-12 respectively and Interstate 5 from the Lewis/Cowlitz County line in the south to the Lewis/Thurston County line in the North.

The population of Lewis County is approximately 68,600 with the majority of those living on the west end of the county. Lewis County's largest city is Centralia. The county seat is the City of Chehalis. Centralia and Chehalis are known as the Twin Cities.
The Twin Cities are conveniently located halfway between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. In fact a drive of less than two hours in any direction could find a visitor enjoying the amenities of either of these large metropolitan areas, walking on the beach or hiking in the Cascade Mountains.

One of the largest employers in the county is Trans Alta, which runs a coal mine and power generating plant just north of Centralia. The average high temperature is 62.5 degrees and the average low temperature is 41.5 degrees. The average annual rainfall is 45.5 inches.

The Chehalis patrol area is comprised of two detachments of 7 troopers each with each detachment being supervised by a Sergeant. These troopers primarily patrol on I-5 and six State Routes (SR-6, SR-12, SR-505, SR-506, SR-507, and SR-508). In addition the Chehalis Detachments investigate all collisions on Lewis County Roads.

Goldendale Detachment

The Goldendale Detachment covers the entire Klickitat and Skamania County areas to include over 230 miles of State Routes. The state routes the Goldendale detachment is responsible for include SR-14, SR-97, SR-141, SR-142, and SR-197.

Klickitat and Skamania Counties are bordered on the south by the Columbia River Gorge which is a spectacular river canyon cutting through the volcanic rock of the Cascade Mountain Range.

The seat for Klickitat County is Goldendale and for Skamania County it is Stevenson. Both counties are known for its outdoors recreations to include popular hunting, fishing and windsurfing. Skamania County is also home to Mt. St. Helens.

The detachment goals and objectives include:

• Decrease the number of alcohol/drug-related collisions.
• Decrease the number of speed related collisions on State Routes.
• Reduce the incidents of aggressive driving and road rage.
• Reduce the number of injury and fatal collisions on State Routes.
• Increase occupant restraint usage.
  

Kelso Detachment

Located in Cowlitz County, the patrol area for the Kelso detachment begins 21 miles north of Portland, Oregon and 145 miles south of Seattle along I-5. The major cities in Cowlitz County include Kelso and Longview, which are located on the Columbia River. Residents are removed from urban congestion, but are still close enough to enjoy the amenities offered in a larger metropolitan city.

The population of Cowlitz County is approximately 94,000. The yearly precipitation averages 37 inches which helps keep their 50 plus city, county and state parks green. The major employers in the area include Longview Fibre & Paper, St. Johns Medical Center and Weyerhaeuser.

Two detachments with 17 troopers work along I-5 and six state routes including SR-504, which leads to Mt. St. Helens, a National Volcanic Monument. Our major roadways include I-5, SR-503, SR-432, SR-504, SR-4, and SR-411.

The detachment goals and objectives include:

• Decreasing the number of DUI related collisions on the Interstate and State Routes.
• Reducing speed related collisions on the Interstate and State Routes.
• Increasing seatbelt compliance through the use of education and targeted patrols in known areas of low compliance.
• Reducing aggressive driving on the Interstate and State Routes.
  

Morton Detachment

The Morton Detachment is located in the heart of Eastern Lewis County. The detachment's responsibilities include a 4,000 foot, Mountain Pass as well as several lakes and damns. The local area is home to an abundance of wildlife including, deer, elk, salmon, steelhead, cougar and bear. Hunting, fishing and skiing are the greatest tourism activities in East Lewis County. Home of the Gifford Pinchot National Park the detachment works closely with the United States Forest Service, Lewis County Sheriff's Office, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the two small municipal agencies in Morton and Mossyrock to effectively achieve the common goals of traffic safety. Roadways the Morton Detachment are responsible for include SR-12, SR-7, SR-508, SR-122, and SR-131.

The Morton Detachment goals are to:

• Decrease the number of alcohol/drug related collisions on all roads in Eastern Lewis County
• Increase the seat belt usage on all state routes
• Reduce the number of speed related collisions on state routes arterial highways.
• Decrease the total number of aggressive driving incidents on all state routes.
  

Vancouver Detachment

The Vancouver Detachment is responsible for patrolling 124 miles of State Highways in Clark County. Situated on the Washington-Oregon border Clark County has been one of the fast growing counties in Washington with a population 337,110. Located in Clark County is Vancouver on the banks of the Columbia River. Vancouver is the home to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and within eyeshot is Mount St Helen's. Our major roadways include I-5, I-205, SR-14, SR-500, SR-502, and SR 503.
The Vancouver Detachment goals and objectives include:

Reduce speed related collisions on Interstate /State Routes.

• Increase occupant restraint usage on Interstate /State Routes.
• Decrease the number of alcohol/drug related collisions.
• Reduce the number of aggressive driving incidents on Interstate /State Routes.
  

Vancouver Motorcycle Detachment

The Vancouver Motors is a Problem Oriented Public Safety (POPS) detachment committed to traffic safety. This detachment is utilized for traffic management and enforcement in the metropolitan Vancouver area. This detachment focuses on problem traffic areas in partnership with the Department of Transportation, local law enforcement agencies, and other interested groups. Their primary focus is Clark County. They provide support to Cowlitz, Lewis, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties as well. The detachment consists of 4 motorcycle troopers and 1 motorcycle sergeant. This motorcycle detachment is an effective tool to reduce acts of aggressive driving, reduce speed-related collisions, and increase seat belt usage within our district.