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District
6 Problem Oriented Public Safety
The State Patrol's style of community policing is called Problem Oriented Public Safety, or POPS. It is based on a philosophy of taking the concerns of the motoring public and addressing recurring problems. If a problem is identified by a trooper or citizen with a concern, the POPS trooper will work with other agencies and groups to develop the best possible solution to address the cause of the problem.
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POPS Projects and Successes
- The SR-97A Traffic Safety Corridor Project covered a 30-mile stretch
of two-lane highway between Wenatchee and Chelan where statistics
revealed a higher than average rate of collisions, particularly those
caused by speed and DUI. A major public awareness effort as well as
changes in enforcement, emergency medical response, and engineering
have resulted in a significant decrease in collisions within the corridor.
There were no DUI or speed-related fatalities during the term of the
corridor project, and residual effects of the corridor’s action plan
still continue.
- A series of Spanish-language driver’s education classes were offered
to adult Hispanic students in the Columbia Basin over a sustained
period of time. Leaders of the Hispanic community were very pleased
with the State Patrol’s proactive stance in educating Spanish-speaking
drivers about traffic laws in an effort to reduce the number of violations
caused from lack of understanding of the laws.
- A process was developed to ensure the safety of motorists stranded
or delayed by highway closures resulting from adverse weather conditions,
avalanches, or collisions blocking mountain pass highways. Ellensburg
employees worked with Department of Transportation (WSDOT) personnel
and a consortium of community leaders to establish procedures that
provide advance warning of deteriorating conditions and ensure that
information about changing conditions is communicated to the public,
and especially to those caught in backups. Additional Highway Advisory
Radio (HAR) transmitters provide increased opportunities for motorists
to monitor conditions while en route their destination. Variable message
signs have been installed at strategic locations and are updated as
conditions warrant. Web sites with real-time cameras provide instant
access to weather conditions from computers with Internet access.
Arrangements have been made with local Red Cross chapters and other
local resources to provide emergency shelter and other necessities
to persons stranded during prolonged closures.
- The SR-17 Traffic Safety Corridor Project has been established in
an effort to reduce collisions on a 23.5 mile stretch of SR-17 between
Moses Lake and Othello in Grant County. Inattention, Failing to Yield,
and Driving Over the Center Line are three primary driving behaviors
that cause collisions in the corridor. A strong group of stakeholders
is working to increase public awareness and change driver behaviors,
in an effort to reduce serious injury and fatality collisions.
Major Programs and Services:
- District 6 has led local efforts to establish child restraint inspection
teams and organize child restraint safety clinics in Wenatchee, Ellensburg,
Okanogan, and the Columbia Basin. The goal of the safety teams is
to make the public more aware of child restraint issues such as the
proper placement and adjustment of child safety seats within the vehicle
as well as the correct steps when placing the child in the seat. This
is done through organized car seat inspection clinics as well as educational
seminars and public training forums. More than 98% of the seats inspected
are improperly installed. In addition, approximately 10% either no
longer meet safety requirements or have life-threatening recalls.
It is because of these facts that the safety teams have successfully
provided more than 635 child seats (obtained by grants from the Washington
Traffic Safety Commission and the Safety Restraint Coalition) to families
that would otherwise not have been able to afford the protection.
For more information concerning child passenger safety, contact the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at www.nhtsa.dot.gov
or the Washington State Safety Restraint Coalition at wssrc@bigfoot.com.
- Two traffic safety task forces have been established: The Chelan/Douglas
Traffic Safety Task Force and the Central Basin Traffic Safety Task
Force. Both task forces are comprised of representatives from a diverse
group of law enforcement agencies who combine their resources and
select problem areas where their joint efforts will improve public
safety.
- Ellensburg detachment personnel partnered with other local agencies
and put on the “Every Fifteen Minutes” program in Ellensburg high
schools shortly before prom and graduation in 2001. The program teaches
high school students about DUI and seat belt safety by emphasizing
the point that a person their age dies every 15 minutes in traffic
collisions. In 2002, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, and Ephrata detachments
are participating in the program.
- In 2001, the Central Basin Task Force held simultaneous mock DUI
collision scenes at five Grant County high schools. This was the largest
mock scene presentation ever accomplished in the state. The re-enactment
included response by 15 law enforcement agencies, six fire departments
and ambulance services, Med-Star helicopter, the coroner, a local
funeral home, and tow trucks. The mock scenes provided realistic DUI
education to approximately 3,500 Grant County high school students.
Students produced a videotape, which became an effective educational
tool.
Contact a District POPS Trooper:
POPS Coordinators:
Lieutenant Karen DeWitt
2822 Euclid Avenue - Wenatchee WA 98801-5916
Phone: (509) 665-4013
Trooper Ken Roe
101 Laguna - Moses Lake WA 98837-0151
Phone: (509) 765-6175 - Fax: (509) 764-2805
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