Vashon to see increase in traffic patrols

Published 12:17 pm Tuesday, October 6, 2015

King County Sheriff’s deputies will perform more traffic patrols on Vashon and in other unincorporated areas of the county in the coming months after a recent decision by the county council approved funds for an additional 1,100 hours of traffic-related enforcment.

“One of the most persistent requests I heard from residents of unincorporated King County this last year was for more traffic enforcement,” Councilmember Reagan  Dunn said in a statement. “This increased visibility by the Sheriff’s office in unincorporated King County will help drivers to remember to obey all traffic laws to help keep our children and our communities safe.”

Dunn proposed the increased funding to the budget to include funds for the emphasis patrols.

King County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cindi West said that the money is to be used for “traffic related enforcement,” specifically impaired driving, seatbelt enforcement, school zone speed, distracted driving and complaint response.

The 1,100 extra patrol hours will be divided equally among the department’s three unincorporated precincts, to give them roughly 360 hours each. She said deputies responsible for Precinct 4, which includes Vashon, will be pulling statistics on collisions and traffic complaints to “help them see where some of the problem areas are.”

“At this point they have not compiled the data, so the locations of enforcement are not known yet,” West said in an email.