Here’s how many WA State Patrol workers left Pierce, Thurston after vaccine mandate
Eleven percent of the troopers working in Pierce and Thurston counties chose to leave the Washington State Patrol rather than be vaccinated.
After a mandate went into effect Oct. 18 that all state employees must provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19, the State Patrol announced 67 troopers, six sergeants, one captain and 53 civil servants separated from employment.
That does not include the number of retirements happening because of the mandate.
Eleven of the commissioned personnel who chose to leave were from District 1, which covers Pierce and Thurston counties. That’s the second highest number of separated employees from the agency’s eight districts, except for the 14 who left District 5, which covers Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties.
Those personnel losses add to the 15 vacancies that already existed in District 1, State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said.
At least one employee from District 1 also retired due to the mandate.
There are 104 commissioned personnel assigned to Pierce and Thurston counties.
“D1 covers two heavily populated counties, and we have a number of detachments in each county that allow resources to be moved where there emerging needs are the greatest,” Loftis said. “The same is true across the state with our eight geographic districts, so between local, regional and statewide resources, we will make adjustment to ensure roadway safety is maintained.”
Names of the troopers who chose to leave rather than be vaccinated were not immediately available.
A Contingency Planning Team was formed shortly after Gov. Jay Inslee announced the mandate and is still looking at how many troopers are needed in each district and where they will move people.
In the long-term, the State Patrol said it is hoping to aggressively recruit candidates to fill the lost positions.
There are currently 47 cadets going through WSP’s Academy in Shelton, and Loftis said the cadets could be working by springtime if they successfully complete their training. Another academy class starts in spring and graduates in November 2022.
When announcing the separations, Chief John Batiste addressed the workers who chose to stay and said the department would do its best not to overwhelm them.
“We have the responsibilities of the agency to carry forward and I am not going to ask you to do more with less,” Batiste said in a news release.
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Here’s how many WA State Patrol workers left Pierce, Thurston after vaccine mandate."
