(The Center Square) – The Washington State Patrol announced a new alert system to help capture hit-and-run suspects.
“If you see or hear the alert and then see what you think might be the suspect vehicle, call 911 and report your location,” WSP Chief John Batiste said in a news release.
The state’s new system will help statewide law enforcement agencies, along with the Washington State Department of Transportation, coordinate to find vehicles fleeing from hit-and-runs. The WSP announced the system’s Tuesday launch on July 31.
Agencies will send alerts to the media and those who sign up to receive them electronically, and local law enforcement will post them on social media. If there is enough descriptive information to help the public identify the vehicle, WSDOT will display the alert on highway message signs and broadcast it on highway advisory radio systems.
“We are working with our partners in law enforcement across the state and in highway safety at WSDOT to get the word out about these often devastating crimes,” Batiste said.
Residents who see possible suspect vehicles should call 911 and not engage under any circumstances, according to Batiste.
“Let our troopers and our fine local law enforcement officers do their jobs in safely and professionally contacting suspect vehicles,” he said.
Officials will activate the system after a situation meets three criteria. A hit-and-run must have caused serious injury or death, it must be reported to, and be under investigation by, police and they must have enough descriptive information to find the suspect vehicle.
Descriptive information includes a full or partial license plate, a vehicle and possible damage description and a direction of travel.
Washington saw its most traffic deaths since 1990 in 2022, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. It also saw more than 300 hit-and-run collisions causing serious injury or death that year, according to the news release.
“In many of those situations, information about the fleeing vehicle was available that, if widely disseminated, might have helped us find a dangerous driver,” Batiste said. “Let’s all do our part to keep the roadways and one another safer.”
