The Patrol Division of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is a
uniformed division with personnel responding to over 80,000 calls for
service a year. Deputies patrol approximately
714
square miles 24 hours a day. A Deputy Sheriff is often the first contact
that many have with the Sheriff’s Office. It is our goal to make all our
contacts with the community we serve as professional, courteous,
compassionate, and objectively fair as possible. The Thurston County
Sheriff’s Office recognizes the need to work in partnership with the
community that we serve in order to solve our mutual problems. This
teamwork helps to improve the quality of life for all of us.
Realizing the extreme danger that drunk drivers pose to our
community, a goal has been set in 2007 to increase Driving Under the
Influence (DUI) arrests by 50%. A large percentage of fatality accidents
throughout the county involved individuals that were under the influence
of alcohol and or drugs. We are working in collaboration with the
Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, the local DUI Task Force,
and other local law enforcement jurisdictions to increased DUI arrests
in 2007. This year we have again set a goal to increase the number of
DUI arrests and will continue in our effort to make our community safer.
In 2005, the Patrol Division started a program in which deputies visit local schools as time allows. Deputies are encouraged to stop in and visit with staff and students, have lunch with students or spend a few minutes on the playground with them. We realize that children are our most important resource and we feel that spending time with them is very important.
The Patrol Division is comprised of 54 uniformed personnel. Deputies are responsible for numerous duties to include responding to emergencies, routine patrol, traffic enforcement, investigating crimes, etc.
Units under the command of the Patrol Division are the Marine Services, Traffic, Air Operations, SWAT Team, and Methamphetamine Lab Response Team.
The Marine Services Unit is a position that is primarily filled
during the summer months and is responsible for patrol/enforcement
on
all waterways (both the freshwater and saltwater) within the boundaries
of Thurston County . When emergencies arise on any waterway throughout
the year, the Marine Services Unit will respond as needed.
Along with enforcement functions, a large part of the Marine Services responsibility is Public Education and Awareness as it pertains to Boating Safety.
The Traffic Unit is comprised of four (4) full-time deputies. They are primarily responsible for traffic enforcement, and accident investigations. Traffic Unit members are also responsible for public education. Our Child Passenger Safety Seat program has received national recognition and is a model for the State of Washington ; several Car Seat Inspection Clinics are performed each year in partnership with The Olympia Elks Club #187, the Olympia and Lacey Police Departments, and Olympia Safe Kids. For question concerning car seats or how to properly install them, please call 786-5525 ext. 6237 and leave a message for one of our technician to call you.
If you need to contact an on-duty deputy and it is not an emergency, call the T-Comm Communications Center at 360-704-2740. In emergency dial 9-1-1.
