WSP 'swarm' policing ends: 344 people stopped, 204 citations issued over two days

TACOMA, Wash -- The Washington State Patrol’s High Visibility Enforcement Effort is officially over. Over the past two days motor officers "swarmed" Northbound and Southbound I-5 between Portland Avenue East and South 56th Street for four hours at a time.

WSP says the two-mile stretch of freeway has one of the highest collision rates in the area giving the statistic that between September and October 2011-2015, the WSP responded to 522 collisions along that small section.

On Thursday, troopers made 139 stops and issued 89 citations.

At the end of the two days, the stats came out to a total of 344 stops and 204 citations.

Citations included: Aggressive driving, texting while talking, cell phone use, seat belt violations, improper child restraints, open container for marijuana, and more.

WSP says the main point of this effort wasn’t to hand out tickets, but rather to provide education and change driver’s behaviors.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome of this emphasis," WSP Lieutenant Mark Tegard says. "The numbers reflect a positive effect on the motoring public and it was a great opportunity to talk with people about safe driving habits. The Washington State Patrol has received an huge show of support and plan on doing this type of education emphasis again in the near future.”