I am discussed by this story. It seems in my own experience all of our law enforcement agencies are out of control, writing tickets to make their numbers look good. They should remember that the same people they treat so badly when you have us pulled over, also happen to be who pays for part of your salary. I am ashamed with most interactions I have had with local law enforcement, WSP, Sno Co Sherrif. Take a customer service class It may help you and benefit those who you serve.

Well "L" - Obviously you are a law breaker or you wouldn't be having all these encounters with the LAW ENFORCEMENT agencies. I'm sick and tired of people like you thinking you can run around breaking the law then whining about the cops when they bust you for it. They need to step up and stop more law breakers. I also feel the first stop for speeding should bear a $500 fine 1st offense, $1000 2nd and loss of license for 1 year on the 3rd. Maybe that will slow their butts down.

Speeding tickets being by far the most common tickets, I wonder how many people really think that moderate speed limit violations (10-15 miles over) are the main problem on the roadways, or just the easiest traffic law to enforce, and subsequently the most efficient way to generate revenue?

I agree with "L". I work in the court system and it is ridiculous how badly cops treat people. They assume the worst, cite people for things that they could easily give a warning for. I have no doubt that there are "quotas". The only ones getting rich are the attorneys. Go sit in any local court and listen to what people are actually getting charged with and you will be amazed. People need to wake up and see what is really going on out there. Believe me, I know cops have crappy jobs and work with the worst of the worst. But they tend to treat everyone like they are convicted felons. Good work Jesse!

Please set the radar guns down and spend more time on aggressive drivers and those gravel trucks that damage windows. ( And I do know u have road rage units ) There is just so much other hideous driving behavior going on then speeders and seat belts.
I thought and only thought Officers recieved a reward of new patrol units (cars) for performance also I may be wrong.

Over the past 20 years since I have moved here, I have noticed a dramatic increase in aggressive driving, especially in the morning commute. I know, being a retired officer, traffic enforcement has been needed in the area of South Sound for a long time.
Those troopers complaining of "quotas" may need to move on to another job. There is no need to put the WSP down. Speed enforcement is a necessity. Unfortunately, the job of speed enforcement has not had command emphasis because that is not where the money (for budget) comes from.

Give the officers back thier discretion and focus on all the traffic laws, not just a handful and the State will be better served.

Speeding is no big deal.
On my commute to work id say 80% are doin 5-10 MPH over, including myself.

police need to focus on the little honda/toyota tinted windows cars weavin in and out causin accidents.

I'm for own happy that WSP is cracking down. I live in Bellingham and I'm sick and tired of the speeders on I-5. Most are from Canada and must have trouble converting from the metric system back to MPH when they cross the border. Keep up they good work WSP not everybody is unhappy with your efforts. As far as the troopers who are complaining! Shut up and either get to work or find another job. If you don't like to work hard get a job with King 5 as a line reporter.

I have had 2 encounters with WSP and both times they were very pleasent to deal with. I asked him his opinion on speeding and handing out citations. He said "it was a game of cat and mouse". As long as the driver is not DUI, i, for the most part, agree with that. You may say that 80% of the commuters around you are doing 5-10 over the limit - and that may be true. But that doesnt mean that they have a get out of jail free card. It's just better pickin's for the cops doing their jobs. There are days I speed and days I dont. And I know full and well that when I speed, even only 1 mph over the limit, i am risking a ticket. DEAL WITH IT. Just cause you have a nice fast car that feel invincible in doesnt give the the right to never receive a citiation. JOIN THE REAL WORLD - WE MISS YOU!

All I ask is that the WSP or any law enforcement agency use their personal judgement. No quotas or hard rules. Pull someone over, listen to their explanation, and make the call to ticket or not. If it is rule based enforcement, then just go to camera based ticketing and get rid of the cops in the field. Or, just govern the cars to max out at the speed limit. Or, just make people stop driving all together (it is dangerous you know). What I really want is a facist police state where the cops make the rules and enforce them. Just kidding, but it is a slippery slope.
And have a stack ranking. I'll start (because its easy): Armed robbers fleeing a scene, anyone putting on make-up or shaving while driving, drivers with unsafe loads, agressive drivers, speeding in school zones, flagrant speeders (12+ over), HOV lane violaters, anyone with a dog loose in their car, seat-belt law violaters. The one thing that will irritate the public is to see the 4-5 WSP units cracking down on seat belt violaters (revenueing) while an agressive driver in a a giant SUV is elsewhere causing a multi-car accident that kills or maims someone.
Also, if you are going to crack down on seat-belt violaters, do it where it makes sense. Bellevue PD was out ticketing on a 25 mph side street awhile back!

Finally, someone exposing the State Troopers tactics. You should also investigate how many of the tickets are written on Sunday. I see more pullovers on Sunday then on any day of the week. Last Sunday my wife and I drove from Tacoma to Everett to visit some friends and I counted 17 pull overs on I-5 between Tacoma and Everett. I have not seen that many Monday through Friday on any week since I moved here 8 years ago.

Hey Genious!
Maybe there are more "pull overs" because of drunken Seahawks fans. Just a thought.

The police are out to meet ticket quotas! I recently got pulled over in Bellevue for a seat belt violation. However, the kicker was that I was wearing my seat belt just not properly. I had no other violation just my arm was over the seatbelt. The officer said "I can't give you a warning" and wrote me a ticket for not wearing my ticket at all. The ticket was illegible for how much so I had to call multiple times to ask the amount the paid and by the time I found out how much I owed ($125.00)the ticket was late. I paid the late fee and mailed it to the address on the ticket. When the ticket did not clear my bank I call again and was told that the Bellevue police is using old tickets and the address is wrong and in about 3-4 weeks it will be forwarded to the correct address.

This ticket has done nothing but irritate me if you are going to give someone a ticket it should not take additional hours to figure out how to pay the ticket.

The police are out to meet quotas. I was recently a passenger in a car in which the driver was pulled over by a state patrol for doing 53mpg in a 45mph, conducted a sobriety test and let the driver go with nothing. I on the other hand received a seat belt ticket. It just doesn't make sense to set quotas without the justification. Seat Belt tickets are the worst as they don't hit your insurance and is an easy money maker for that 5% the WSP gets out of it. Washington already has one of the highest seat belt use rates in the nation, yet i get one over someone who was speeding. Go Figure!

Let's get real. The problem with this state is not speeding. The State Patrol should be focusing more on terrorism, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and human trafficking. This state is too liberal and does not want to hurt anybody's feelings. Lets get real people, wake up and see the problem.

Ming, are you really trying to say that it is your friends fault that you received a s/b ticket? If you weren't breaking the law in the first place, you would have no reason to worry. I get so tired of people like you that try to pass blame on others for your own wrongdoing. Did you know that since the s/b law came into effect as a primary infraction a few years ago, the state has seen fewer deaths due to collisions where a s/b would have saved their life? That means fewer hospital bills for taxpayers and less hits on your insurance every year.
Also, the story is wrong, only the motorcycle troopers are asked to meet an 80% enforcement rate on speed contacts, the troopers in cars are only asked to cite 55%. So, 5.2 out of every 10 people are getting a ticket for BREAKING THE LAW. If we would all just obey the speedlimits, wear our seatbelts, and not drink and drive, we would see less and less of these guys in their bowties and big, funny hats.

Let me see if I have this right "Z." If a trooper is driving a car I have a 55 % chance of getting a ticket, but, if that same trooper happens to be driving a motorcycle I have an 80% chance of getting a ticket? What sense does that make?!

Obey the laws, enjoy the ride, be polite and share the road, watch the speeding reckless driver zoom past and get nailed by one of the wsp undercover cars. Waive goodbye as you pass them on the shoulder. That is sooo sweet! Go WSP

The answer to your question "RL" is priorities. Troopers on motorcycles are there for one thing and one thing only ~ proactive police work. That is the same way around the world. Motors are designed to get in and out of traffic easier than cars can and are better equiped to work proactively. That leaves the rest of the "grunt" work to the patrol cars. I.e., collisions, disabled vehicles, DUI's, warrant arrrests, calls for service, ect. So, if Motors are supposed to be stopping speeders primarily, than they are to take the "lion's share" of the enforcement percentage so as to make a creater impact on the motoring public in attempts to try and slow them down. Because ultimately, isn't that what they are trying to do? Slow them down to help save lives? If saving lives is a bad thing, I am not sure what good is.

"Z",

You sound like a trooper.
Cool.
I've got a question for you about the issue of saving lives.
I'm trying to get an opinion on the fact that the fatailty rate and the fatal accident rate is higher now than it was in 2004?
Secondly, I spoke to alot of troopers before and after this report and they seem to fall into two camps.
First camp: Troopers need to be more active because drivers are being more aggressive and driving faster than ever.
Camp Two: Troopers are too focused on the four primary catagories and not the other issues you bring up when it comes to patrol troopers.
"Z" I wish I could have put some troopers on the air who were free to speak their minds. There are some compelling folks out working our roads.
Shoot, I wish I could have put you on TV.
I didn't want to put troopers on TV in shadow. Nor did I want people handpicked from Olympia.
I think this is a healthy debate in the agency.
So we instead let the big boys slug it out.

Being a resident and native of California, the disparity in the class of the Washington State law enforcement is pretty obvious. In fact, not only is the law enforcement there second rate, but so are the roads. Take some of that ticket revenue, or any revenue, and build a few more bridges and don't just rely on 90 and the 520. Also, you're retarded if you think you can get by with just I-5. Get your heads screwed on right, people. Or, just come to your senses and move to California. That is, if you can afford it, and enjoy a much better quality of life - we just do it better down here. You can get angry or try to write me off, but fact remains, you live in a pretty sad outpost of the States, and California is the bomb diggity.

Okay. I have questions for all of you whiners. Why are you so against the police, whether they're city, county or state, enforcing the laws??? What makes all of you ABOVE the law??? Did you know that speed lim its are laws??? If you drove right, we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we???

I think it is all about reveniew. The ticketing process just adds cost to insurance and doesn't create any safety. The Police won't come to your house if your vehicle is broken into. I lost over $3000.00 in Stereo equiptment, I could not get a sherrif or any other police to come and take a look at my vehicle. Let the police help us and be visible, no unmarked cars be were all can see and help the public. that is the job not just revinue

I am P.O. at the comments left by most of you. This is consistent with the current state of society though (blame everyone but yourself). Take your medicine!!!

There is too much to do out there for LEO's to worry about quota's. Give them a break (the guys/gals on the street). The management are the ones to blame.

If you want more emphasis on aggressive drivers then e-mail the chief and your legislator explaining your issue. Give them a "Real Life" story about how you are affected by them daily.

Remember: Drive Friendly!

S L

Josh,

The pullovers I am talking about happened before 8AM not any time close to a Seahawks game, by the way, the Seahawks were out of town the weekend I am talking about, genius.

Please, put the radar guns down, look and observe whats going on out there.
You dont need incogneto road rage units hiding in traffic. They will drive like idiots right in front of you!! Even if your in a marked unit.
People have become rude and mean while driving here and you dont even dare to make any kind of face or comment or fights on!! Forget the "stat" mph tickets.
How about more negeligent/reckless driving tickets to those aggresive folks which I know means more work and miles. WSP please be safe out there and show the compassion and concern to the little bit over speed violations which should be part of the reason why you joined. Verbal warnings do work contrary to other " stats" your probably given.
Agressive belligerent racing drivers No Mercy..

amen ED! Agressive drivers are the number one reason for road rage. Thay all complain about road rage but seem reluctant to remove the problem of the agressive drivers. I think their punishment should be to be placed in a narrow hallway and forced to walk slowly while someone stands behind them and shoves them in their back to force them forward faster everyday for one full year. Think they will get the idea here???

I meant the agressive drivers that are arrested should receive the afore mentioned punishment.

I agree with SL, it is not the troopers it is the management. The troopers are not complaining about working hard, they are complaining about the restrictions and constraints that are placed upon them. They are only doing as they are directed so do not blame them. If you do not like what is going on email the chief to have it changed. The troopers want to be out there doing what they know needs to be done, they live in the same communities as you and I. They want to be out there arresting drug dealers, removing the tweekers from the roads and neighborhoods. They want to be removing the unsafe drivers and vehicles off of the roadways and helping those whose cars have broken down. Instead they have a very narrow focus of speed, DUI, seatbelt and aggressive driving as the agency does not track or care about the rest, this narrow vision is that of managment. They have decided what is important to the citizens not the citizens.

It appears that the troopers are concerned about meeting these "quotas", "expectations", or "accoutnability" what ever you want to call it as they prevent them from doing there jobs as law enforcement officers. Maybe they should be given their discretion back and allowed to go out and enforce all of the laws not just four. Maybe then those in the unmarked cars will start stopping the aggressive drivers out there on the highways and not working in the towns and cities writing seatbelt and speeding tickets.

I am 53 years old and have been listening to people make comments about cops having quotas for 40 of thoses years. What a bunch of hogwash. If they are required to make quotas, it's only because too many speeders are on the road. The state gets a heck of a lot more money off of taxing you than writing tickets. Besides, most tickets get thrown out by the liberal judges. Kinda blows that theory, doesn't it?

X,

The ADAT cars do that in your district too??? Funny!

You all would be shocked how the Chief reacts to public perception. E-mail the Chief, the Governor's office and your Legislator asking for change and/or explaining your perceptions... action will be taken.

X, you are correct when talking about the trooper wanting to get back to serving the public in wide spectrum law enforcement. This narrow minded law enforcement has to stop. I happen to know a trooper who thinks the same.

Quota, they don't need no quota. Police Officers of all jurisdictions should feel free to write as many tickets as they need to. There are many drivers who believe the trafic laws don't apply to them.
To bad... If you violate the law be prepared to pay the consequences of your ations.
We have to much traffic to allow these "risk takers" to endanger the rest of us. Revenue? Sure the government makes some money on trraffic citations.
Yes, they police officers would like to be out investigating burglaries, car prowls, even terrorism, but as long as drivers make poor decisions the police will issue tickets.

Remember the roadways are a "target rich" environment for the cops.

So grow up, pay attention to how you drive, stop putting my life at risk and maybe you will save a little money. Your trip might take a little longer, but you will arrive alive. Isn't your life worth a little respect?

I agree that the roadways are target rich environments and there are idiots out there driving making stupid decisions, and those drivers need to be stopped and ticketed.

I think the whole issue boiles down to the fact that the troopers should be allowed to have the freedom to issue a ticket or not, instead of being forced to issue a ticket without having discretion.

This story is just the kind of political sludge that gets drudged around during election years. Maybe the citizens of this state should be made aware that the WSPTA is a separate entity than the WSP. The agenda that the president has is not in line with the goals and objectives of the hard working WSP employees. The WSPTA executive team is comprised of a President and Vice-President who are motors Troopers and have been in the business of promoting the agenda of that tiny sect of their constituants since entering office.

Here's a quote for you. It's an exerpt from the WSP Troopers Association Publication "The Bear Facts". The issue date of June 2006. "Let's remember that we work for the WSP as a whole and for the citizens of the State of Washington. Go out there everyday and catch some bad guys. Put handcuffs on the people that need them and write some tickets to those that have earned it. For those that are wondering why I said this, it is because I've gotten a number of calls from my fellow Sergeants of late saying they feel pressure from their Troopers and Lieuntenats when it comes to performance and measuring that performance. It is not a violation of any rules to have your Sergeant sit down with you and list some expectations for the coming evaluation period. It is required that goals and objectives be set during the pre-appraisal so that you get a fair chance to have input into your own job performance appraisal. You get to talk about how you will be successful! If your Sergeant asks you for goals and objeectives and wants you to tell them what they can expect from you for the next six months, don't start calling it out as a quota system and threatening to call the Chief. It is not a quota, it is a goal na there is a requirement that they go over that with you every six months."

How's that for a statement made by the WSPTA to WSPTA members? A little different spin than what was portrayed this week, isn't it?

And...an interesting tidbit about that "Internal Memo" that Jesse discussed citing the numbers. Oh yes, that was a memo drafted by a WSPTA member to his subordinates. 2 days later, the fact was brought up to Management and they had him retract that memo. Sure did seem to me (and maybe the rest of you) that that memo was from State Patrol Management to all Patrol Officers and NOT written to 5 Troopers (WSPTA members) by 1 Sergeant (also a WSPTA member).

Jesse: maybe next time you'll be more wary of info you get from Mr. Pillow.

Hey "M" do you bleed blue or what?! There is a quota, like it or not. When you are TOLD to write 55% or 80% or they will find someone who will - that's a threat and that's a quota! This has nothing to due with the WSP v WSPTA, this has to due with one self-serving man building his resume and nothing more. Chief Ursino, you lied on TV, but hey, it gets easier each time you do it doesn't it!

It's hard to believe that a chief or deputy chief of the WSP would tell a lie ["no trooper has been dicaplined for not meeting the expectations"] We have to remember that the employees of the WSP are human. They lie, cheat, steal, just like the rest of the human race. Just because they have a badge doesn't make them superman/woman. Don't get me wrong, if you took a handful of the genaral public and a handful of troopers, the integrity of the bunch would weigh on the troopers side. I worked for the WSP for many years as a trooper. It's funny that Tommy Pillow comented on the ticket quotas. I believe he once held the record in the state for writing the most tickets in one day. I think it was 200+. I bet that there were quality contacts with the public. The motorcycle officers seem to abuse the system the most. They rarely respond to calls and ussually sit in a "fishing Hole" and write as many tickets as they can in a short amount of time. These fishing holes are a misrepresentation. They are usually a slow speed zone that rarely have collisions. The other thing the districts do is have troopers work on areas on I-5 like the 60 mph zones. They designate them as problem areas because of speed related collisions. The reason they are designated as speed related collision areas is because, on the collision report the trooper investigating indicated the cause was speed too fast for conditions. Its a catch-all box on the collision report.

The WSP survives on numbers. They don't get direct money from the tickets but they do manipulate numbers and take them to the legislaters/govener and say "look how good we are" "can we have more money".
The last few years I spent at the WSP, I felt like it was a corporation, not a public servise agency.
Trouble is: Once they've drank the "koolaid" its hard to change.

Jesse Please keep going with this story. It gets better with each passing day.

Hey M,

Did you see the story?
Did you listen to it?
Did you read the story on the internet?
I ask because, I said a "Sgt. in Bellevue" handed out that memo you speak of "to officers he supervised".
Now go back and read the story..
I'll wait.
O.K..
I think most people know a Sgt. supervises a small group of people.
I did not say it was a Statewide memo.
That's why I had Ursino (you know who he is right?)on to give his statement saying there was not a quota.

[quote]Ursino said: "There isn't any quotas but there is accountability. I'm accountable to the chief, the chief is accountable to the governor and we are all accountable to the people."[/quote]

If you were held accountable to the people you would be out investigating murders and keeping the scum off the streets, not writing tickets for speeding.

The problem is to meet the quotas, cops tend to sit in are where the speed limit changes. They will sit right at a sign where the speed limit changes by 10-15 MPH and pull people over who are still going the previous speed one foot inside the new zone...

All this talk is about speeding, etc. tickets! As a retired commercial vehicle enforcement officer my job was hunting for overweight and also defective trucks on the roads and if I didn't write four or five overweight tickets a day I didn't fell like I was doing a full days work. And these tickets ran into the thousands sometimes over $10,000. No one ever gave me a quota, they didn't have to. Its called work ethic.

Cars have to handle Collisions and everyone else not abale to take care of themselves as well as stop cars.

Motorcycles only stop cars. Thats why they write 80%. They have no other responsibility. (except overtime escorts)

Weekends-You are going to get a ticket from a car because there is less traffic which means less calls for service and a chance to catch up on the quata.

I can't believe any of you would blow off speeding as if it were no big deal. It is a big deal. It is a law and breaking ANY law is a big deal. Speeding, butt-riding, maniac driving idiots are the number one reason for road rage. And you think the cops shouldn't waste their time pulling over people like that? What idiots!

Quota. No quota. I suppose there is a difference between asking for 55% enforcement versus telling the troopers they must write, say, a minimum of 20 tickets per shift. It's probably splitting hairs and each trooper almost certainly has a different opinion.

I DO find it very interesting that so many of the same people who argue (vehemently) that police have way too much power and authority as it is, are now arguing that those same officers should be permitted to use their discretion with regard to writing tickets.

For those who are foolish enough to think traffic enforcement is a waste of time: The "routine traffic stop" represents the greatest avenue for detection of criminals when they LEAST want to be found. And each time one of our officers stops a car, he has no idea if he's stopped a soccer mom with a lead foot and a bad attitude; a drunken moron who is about to plow his car into an innocent family; or a drug dealer with a large shipment, a weapon and a determination not to go to jail.

I don't enjoy getting speeding tickets (and have LOVED my verbal warnings), but I know I've deserved every ticket I've gotten over the years. And I have to confess that if I'd only ever gotten verbal warnings, I would still have my lead foot. Those expensive dang tickets have gotten me to slow down.

Washington is and has always been a police state.
I just drove over 6000 miles on my motorcycle from Seattle to the southern tip of Baja, Mexico and back in just under a month!
I passed numerous CHP in California at speeds over the posted limit. Not riding crazy just making time on the hwy to cover distances. Not once did I have any problems with them. There are way more roads and many more drivers in CA. Much better roads and most drivers are better skilled as well. Oregon I hardly even saw a HWY patrol car, Mexico; it's every man for himself and I for one like this style, if you have no skill slow down before you kill yourself or someone else, if you don't then see ya, if you are a highly skilled driver/rider then ride at your own limits. Live and let live, I'm tired of government employees "protecting" us from ourselves. I don't need your help or want it. I have survived without you for 50 years the WASP has never once come to my aid!
Washington is out of control with the State troopers, their nazi style ticket patrols and their power triping attitudes.
Thats all they are, just ticket writers who want to be cops. Other law enforcemen agencies mock them as "police officers" They do not ivestigate crimes, They write tickets and clean and control accident scenes and construction projects! They flex on the public to boost their needy self esteem. Not all of course but more often then not. It's a joke and common knowledge with interstate drivers. Washington State Patrol are full of themselves and their ticket crusade is enough to make people leave this state.
This comes from their leadership and this is where reform should be focused!

Why are so many complaining about the WSP writing tickets when I have been stopped for speeding 3 times in 3 years and never received a ticket, only verbal warnings? I was going 10-15 over in all three cases, and the officer was professional, and obviously, lenient.

Just in case you were wondering, I'm no one special, not a cop or anything, a real estate agent, and twice I was in an older ford explorer, and once while on a motorcycle.

MLS - Oviously you live in a NASCAR dreamworld and should not be allowed a license to drive on our streets. Who do you think you are??? It's guys like you with a "I don't give a s__t attitude that is out there killing yourselves and other people that are innocent. What a jerk. You need some serious training about life, dude.

If you didn't notice, this MLS guy really ticked me off. I spent five years as a volunteer firefighter in south King County and scraped a lot of guys like him up with a shovel. Maybe if he went out and got a good look at what drivers like him do, he would think more about it. But, I doubt it. He won't be happy till he kills someone or himself.

I thought the story was going to be about Ursino's moral problems.
1. Stealing money from the memoral foundation to pay for a disabled kid who he turned over to the state for the rest of us to pay for. Then useing the money to buy a new car.
2. Sleeping with the significant other of someone he wupervised.
3. Like it was said above, the lies must get easier each time.
Maybe Jesse will do another story that exposes this scumbag.

MLS

Why don't you stay in Mexico? You're invited to leave this state if you hate it so bad. I would recommend Canada as well, but they are a bunch of friendly folks. You would fit in better in Mexico, where it's "every man for himself."

CHP has too much traffic volume to worry about the 10-15 over... they may stop you for 20-25 over...or not. How's that for dropping the ball as a public safety agency?

WSP has been tasked as a traffic law enforcement agency but they do much more than that. How many city officers have investigated or done case work on homicides or serious injury assaults? Not many, they hand it over to a detective. How many WSP Troopers have, darn near every one if not all of them. They get the job done.

Hasta la vista... MLS

Great Story,
No quotas, this is true, there should not be quotas.
What I have noticed is there seems to be more attention paid to "Speeders" than driving behaviors, (following too close, improper lane changes,etc.) There should be more emphasis on the way a person drives rather than how fast they drive. However with that said, in a traffic stop warrants are found, thus taking those drug dealing terroristic bank robbing SOB off the street.
As for California being superior to Washington, Ha what a joke. If that is true than how come so many Californians moved to our state and ruined it.
Jesse keep up the good work, nice write up.

I drive 104 miles round trip everyday from Whidbey Island to Tukwila. Departing the island at 4:40 AM and commuting back home at around 2:00 PM. I stay with the flow of traffic, at whatever speed that is, usually between 60-70 MPH on I-5. On the island - well depends, but it is usually VERY slow in the afternoon (as everyone is out an about by then) and during the morning commute at 4:00 AM fir us commuters heading to the Clinton Ferry it is normal - except - van pools.

Van Pools seemingly are above the law. They can speed, tailgate, flash you with thier high beams and or they can impede traffic and flaunt that they are allowed special privlage of being first on the boat and first off. ( I love it when I ride my motorcycle and they have to wait on the bikes) Yet no one touches them. Complain to Island Transit about it and nothing happens. However my hat is off to the WSP as the only ones I have ever seen pull over an Island Transit van pool for speeding, on the island during the wee hours. Now granted I don't know if he got a ticket, but maybe it brought the driver back to reality. I ain't a perfect driver and during my commutes have been pulled over, by the WSP and only warned TWICE! and ya know they were right I was speeding and I admitted it. Not trying ot get off only telling the truth. Made me a more concientious driver...if I miss a boat - so what, I will get the next one. slowing down to me is better than the alternatives of getting into an accident and or causing injury and loss of life due to speeding. I guess I fall into the category of a "profesional commuter" LOL. I drive alot - and thanks to the WSP I am safer.

If troopers need to fill their "quotas" then maybe more should be out pulling over and citing truckers running Snoqualmie Pass without chains when trucks are required to chain up? Those $500 infractions should look good on their TARS reports.

I found this story to be interesting. At first I was sure it was going to be very onesided and negative towards law enforcement as it seems most media is these days. It seemed to be pretty fairly stated. My issue is this - in any other profession there are goals and standards which employees have to meet that proves they are doing the job they are paid for. You can call them goals, quotas, deadlines or whatever name you want to put on them and they are all the same. Why should the law enforcement workforce be any different. I personally want to know that my tax dollars aren't funding officers to do DO nothing. Secondly, if you have all your affairs in order and are not doing anything illegal no matter how seemingly small the offense, there won't be a reason for officers to give you a ticket. We all may not like the laws that are passed in this state, but they are not written by law enforcement they are written and passed by law makers WE vote into office and then ENFORCED by the officers. The fact that warnings are given is an exception that should be received with some semblance of gratitude-it shouldn't be expected. And word to the wise, if you treat the officer you are dealing with respectfully and HONESTLY ( surprise, surprise, they see through bull cause they have heard it all ) a warning will be more readily given. People need to stop blaming law enforcement for everything and start taking some personal responsiblity for their actions, and recognize that the business structure of law enforcement is and should be held to at least the basic standards and principles of civilian business.