Flying Cops Are Watching—Slow Down on the Highway

Washington State Patrol in Ellensburg welcomed the assistance of Smokey 5 to the valley recently. As part of an emphasis patrol on I-90 near Kittitas, the aircraft and 3 troopers ended a very successful mission.

In Just Two-Hours, More Than 30 Vehicles Were Stopped.

WSP Uses the Smokey Aircraft to Track Down Speeders and Reckless Drivers.

Part of the agency’s Special Operations Division, the WSP Aviation Section occupies a renovated commercial hanger at the Olympia Airport. The six aircraft kept at the high security facility are carefully maintained by two mechanics and a maintenance supervisor. The pilot corps consists of five troopers, one sergeant and one lieutenant. In addition to the five Cessnas (three 182 models and two 206 models) the fleet also includes the all-weather King Air 200. WSP Aviation also has five additional Reserve Tactical Flight Officers (TFOs) deployed across the state. The pilot and a TFO are able to use the FLIR cameras and sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment called Augmented Reality Systems (ARS) to obtain tracking history and speed readings which they can relay to ground units from WSP or other agencies any time day or night.

Read More: Woman Caught Speeding on Her Way to Pay Speeding Ticket

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WSP aircraft are also used by Homeland Security to provide surveillance assistance. The aircraft are also utilized in law enforcement narcotics investigations and operations across the state.