Gov. Gregoire announces two prestigious honors awarded to the Washington State Patrol

For Immediate Release: August 16, 2012

OLYMPIA� Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced two prestigious honors awarded to the Washington State Patrol.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has named the Washington State Patrol the best state police agency of its size for 2011. The WSP competed against other state police agencies with between 1,100 and 2,500 employees.

�This is no surprise for those of us who work directly with the men and women of the State Patrol,� Gregoire said. �I�m very pleased that an outside, objective organization would come to the same conclusion.�

The Washington State Patrol was similarly honored by IACP in 2006 and went on the following year to be named the best police agency of any size.

The second recent honor comes from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. WSP Chief John Batiste was personally honored with AAMVA�s Martha Irwin Lifetime Achievement Award.

A statement from AAMVA read, �Under Chief Batiste�s leadership, citizens of Washington have seen an impressive reduction in fatal collisions, consistently exceeding national averages��

�Chief Batiste began his career as a front-line trooper determined to reduce the number of highway deaths and collisions,� she said. �He has grown to lead and mentor so many others in that role that he has become perhaps the single greatest influence on traffic safety in our state. This is a great honor for a humble person who is always quick to share the successes of his team, but rarely takes any credit.�

Chief Batiste started his career as a trooper-cadet in 1976, retiring in 2002. In 2005 Gregoire asked him to leave retirement to return as the 21st Chief of the State Patrol.

Founded in 1933, AAMVA represents state and provincial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police is the worlds� oldest and largest nonprofit organization of police executives, with over 20,000 members in over 100 different countries.