New Patrol troopers

After 26 weeks of training and 10 weeks of coaching, Mason County has two new Washington State Patrol troopers.

A.J. Gomez and C.B. Zimmerman are now patrolling county roads from busy U.S. Highway 101 to remote Forest Service Road 23.

Both troopers spoke to the Journal about the job from the Shelton detachment office on the grounds of the WSP Academy.

The 190-acre academy, at 631 W Dayton Airport Road, has been a training facility since 1969.

The campus has dorms, classrooms, a gym, water safety training tank, firing range and a 2.7-mile drive course.

Before they graduate, Gomez said cadets make a "dream list" of location assignments. He and Zimmerman said Mason County was one of their top three choices and they are happy to be working in the county.

"Mason County was definitely on my list. This area is gorgeous," Zimmerman said.

Gomez came to the job right out of the Navy. He said he served his last day at Naval Base Kitsap and "immediately started the journey with Washington State Patrol."

He spent two months working in the WSP office before he started the academy.

Zimmerman said interactions with troopers when he was a truck driver made him want to join WSP.

"The contact I had with Patrol officers and their professionalism really inspired me. It's what motivated me to be a trooper," he said.

Both men start the workday by checking all their equipment.

"You test the radar at the beginning and after your shift," Gomez said.

If there are no dispatch requests, the troopers head out on the highways.

"You are in charge of your own schedule," Gomez said. This means the troopers aren't specifically assigned a location but use their judgment.

Gomez said he likes to start with school zones, making sure drivers are following the posted speeds in the morning.

"Making sure children are safe crossing the roadways," he said.

Zimmerman does "a quick check of the area," looking for vehicles that are abandoned or blocking roads.

Some days are relatively quiet, spent enforcing traffic laws, and some days are spent "rolling from one call to the next," according to Gomez.

Zimmerman recently responded to a tree that fell on power lines blocking state Route 106 during an April 20 windstorm. He said that's common for forested areas like Mason County.

Mason County PUD also responded, helping turn off power and move the tree. Zimmerman said he loves "working with all of our partners like PUD." They take their jobs seriously and have the same goals of serving the public and keeping residents safe, he said.

Both troopers said they don't dwell on the dangers of the job.

"That does go through your head," Gomez said.

He experienced one risk firsthand when a distracted driver, traveling at highway speeds, struck his Patrol vehicle parked along state Route 3 while Gomez was sitting inside.

He wasn't injured and said the incident is a good example of why Washington's "Move Over and Slow Down" law, which requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle on the side of the road, is needed.

Zimmerman said he thought about safety before he applied to the academy.

"It's something my wife and I talked about before I took the job," he said.

Gomez said he's always aware of tinted windows, if a vehicle is reported stolen, if there's sudden movement in a stopped vehicle in addition to how close he's standing to the highway with traffic whizzing by.

Zimmerman credits WSP training with teaching him the benefits of "staying sharp, being ready for anything."