News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 5, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke’s Statement on Washington State Patrol Chief Accepting Nashville Post

Gov. Gary Locke today issued the following statement on the resignation of Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas to accept a position as chief of police in Nashville, Tenn.:

“Chief Serpas is one of the finest chiefs in the history of the Washington State Patrol. His efforts have made the citizens of Washington safer by targeting aggressive and drunk drivers and emphasizing the state’s ‘Click It or Ticket’ policy to increase seat belt usage. Chief Serpas’ efforts have dramatically reduced the number of traffic fatalities in our state.

“Among his many accomplishments, Chief Serpas has addressed the issue of bias in policing by soliciting an independent analysis of more than 2 million traffic stops. The State Patrol was the first law enforcement agency in the country for which the independent analysis showed no evidence of biased policing.

“While we are sorry to see Chief Serpas leave, I understand that this is a great opportunity for him to return to the South and direct a large city police force. The city of Nashville will greatly benefit from his skills.

“The citizens of our great state of Washington thank Ronal Serpas for his service. I commend Chief Serpas and the brave men and women of the State Patrol who go out of their way to make our communities safe for us and our families. Chief Serpas leaves the State Patrol, the premier law enforcement agency in the state, in excellent condition.”

Serpas served as chief of the Washington State Patrol since August 2001. Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles in the New Orleans Police Department, leaving as superintendent of police and chief of operations to head the Washington State Patrol.

Locke is reviewing candidates to replace Serpas, but no announcement on a successor has been made.

# # #


» Return to this month's News Releases
» View News Release Archive

Access Washington