93% Of Washington State Patrol Is Fully Vaccinated

WASHINGTON — With the deadline fast approaching for state employees to comply with Gov. Jay Inslee's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, immunization rates have become especially strong among Washington state troopers. Just two weeks ago, Washington State Patrol fell on the low end among state agencies, with vaccination rates under 63 percent on Sept. 20. Now, WSP ranks among the state's most vaccinated agencies, boasting a 93 percent vaccination rate as of Wednesday.

"That vaccination rate is a significant increase in the past several weeks, and we are hopeful that the numbers will continue to improve by Oct. 18," said Chris Loftis, a WSP spokesman. "We encourage all of our employees who can be vaccinated to be vaccinated as we want them all to be safe and to stay with our agency and in service to the state. We need and care for every single one."

Loftis said 1,932 WSP employees provided proof of full vaccination status by Wednesday, and roughly 100 employees were in various stages of seeking religious or medical exemptions. According to The Seattle Times, 152 members of WSP still need to submit their paperwork, including 91 commissioned troopers and 61 civil servants. For the small percentage of the workforce that has yet to provide their immunization status, they have until Oct. 18 to do so.

WSP stands out among many law enforcement agencies, including the Seattle Police Department, which was still missing vaccination records for 27 percent of its sworn officers Wednesday.

Updated figures on the vaccination status and exemptions sought across all state agencies are due to be released Monday by the Office of Financial Management.