State patrol’s face of the Tri-Cities leaves behind legacy of safety. ‘Good luck Trooper’
Washington State Patrol's friendly face in the Tri-Cities is ending a 25-year career in public service.
For six years, Trooper Chris Thorson used social media to dole out safe driving tips along with information about crashes and hazardous highway conditions.
From "blinker fluid" to "zipper merging," his goal always has been trying to make the roads around the Mid-Columbia region a bit safer for everyone.
"No one wants to listen to a police officer who is going down their throats," he said about his videos and posts on X, formerly Twitter.
"I always threw something lighthearted in there. It opened people up to be more accepting."
Thorson is retiring from the Washington State Patrol and starting a new career in security. The 50-year-old trooper said a lifetime of injuries have been catching up with him.
In his 25 years with WSP, he has patrolled the highways and interstates in the Tri-Cities, recruited for the agency and worked as the public information officer for the district that stretches from Yakima to Walla Walla.
His videos and posts have attracted an audience of more than 14,000 on X. Along with providing information about collisions and events, he also regularly posts about how to be safe.
"Trooper Thorson has served this state for decades as a trooper and a public information officer," said Chris Loftis, WSP's communications director.
"His honesty, knowledge, and compassion were apparent in every interview he gave and every conversation he had with a motorist in distress. He honored us with his service and the Washington State Patrol speaks for all of Washington when we say, 'Good job, Trooper. Good luck and God's speed, old friend.'"
Thorson grew up in Skagit County in Western Washington and wanted to go into law enforcement even as he went to school in the 1990s. He attended Skagit Valley Community College and received an associate's degree.
"It's what I always wanted to do," he said. "I liked being outside. I didn't want to be stuck in a cubicle in an office. ... I really enjoyed helping people that were in need of help."
The search for his first job as an officer was a struggle. At the time, police work was hard to come by. He applied to Seattle police, Mount Vernon police, Skagit County Sheriff's Office and the Walla Walla Police Department.
He was eventually hired by the Washington State Patrol and his first assignment was at the Plymouth Port of Entry at the Oregon border. He spent the next 15 years patrolling the highways and interstates in the south-central region of the state.
After patrol, he turned to recruiting across the West Coast for four years, and then returned to the Tri-Cities to become the public information officer.
"I was still out on the road and investigating crimes and handling fatality crashes, but I was also doing PIO work," he said.
Along with working with media sources, he also was in charge of posting on the regional social media pages. One of his most popular videos came in 2018, when Thorson posed with a small bottle labeled "Blinker Fluid."
"I'm here to announce the biggest secret to never receiving a turn signal citation ever again," he said. "Check it out — Blinker Fluid. This stuff is good for up to 6,000 blinks."
The video, made to encourage people to use their turn indicators, was picked up by news stations across the state.
He made dozens of other videos over the course of his time in the position, trying to stress the importance of driving safely.
"I would go to the sites where this bad driving was occurring because I thought it's boring to record videos in the office. Why not go out to where it is going on?" he said. "That is more interesting for the motoring public to see."
The hardest part of his work was always delivering the news to someone that their family member had been killed in a crash. And he didn't want other families to have to go through that.
While it was serious, Thorson still tried to keep his delivery light. He said he didn't want to lecture people about their driving.
"When I was raised, I always had some aunts and uncles who were lighthearted and funny. I had that instilled in me growing up," Thorson said.
His public information work allowed him to meet Seahawks hall of fame offensive tackle Walter Jones. They've been able to meet a few times since making the connection.
He said he will miss the camaraderie with his co-workers and interacting with the community.
"I think making a difference in the community where I live, that really means the most to me," he told the Tri-City Herald. "That is what I'll miss the most."
