Gov. Gregoire addresses law enforcement members

For Immediate Release: July 11, 2008

WENATCHEE � Gov. Chris Gregoire helped honor the life of fallen Trooper Jim Saunders while speaking to the Washington State Patrol Troopers and Athletic Association at the conclusion of its annual memorial golf tournament today.

�I want you to know I deeply appreciate this particular occasion to honor our partnership as well as the life of Jim Saunders, your much-loved fellow trooper who was killed in the line of duty in Pasco almost nine years ago,� Gregoire said. Saunders died from a gunshot wound while conducting a traffic stop.

Nearly 300 troopers participated in the golf tournament earlier in the day to raise money for the Washington Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. The Foundation provides counseling and services for those families who have lost a loved one while in the line of duty. It also maintains the Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol campus in Olympia.

Gregoire discussed her commitment to the Washington State Patrol and applauded troopers for keeping our roads and neighborhoods protected.

�With the help of our partners throughout the law enforcement community, we have taken enormous strides to keep our communities safer,� Gregoire said. �I congratulate all of you for the fact that fatalities on Washington highways are at an all-time low.� Washington had 74 fewer deaths on the roads in 2007 than in 2006.

Last year, the governor signed the �Steve Frink and Jim Saunders Law� that ensures spouses and children of a Washington state trooper killed in the line of duty continue to receive state health-care coverage at no cost to the family.

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