Royal man state's newest trooper
Brand new Washington State Patrol Trooper Connor W. Paysse with his proud father, Bill. His mother, Stacey, died of cancer in 2013. “I think she'd still be proud,” he said.
ROYAL CITY – Connor W. Paysse of Royal City became a Washington State Patrol trooper at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda at Olympia last week.
No, it was not the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Paysse decided to become trooper in April of last year while he was employed as a fish and wildlife specialist for the Grant County PUD.
“I thought it would work well with my skill set,” he said. “It seemed like a great career.”
Paysse added that he feels strongly about keeping the motoring public safe. The overall mission of a trooper is public safety, he said.
Paysse was among 37 Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers who were sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court, Barbara A. Madsen.
The new troopers were presented their commission cards by Governor Jay Inslee and State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste.
After completing more than 1,000 hours of training, these men and women joined Washington’s premier law enforcement organization.
The Washington State Patrol Academy produces approximately three cadet classes each biennium, which accounts for about 100 to 120 new troopers. Historically, only about four to six percent of the total number of applicants makes the grade to become WSP troopers.
The 37 cadets endured a rigorous application process, extensive background investigation, and received the best training, according to Batiste.
Paysse said: “The training was a paramilitary model. It’s very rigorous training.”
Paysse will patrol the familiar Columbia Basin. He has been assigned to the WSP’s Moses Lake detachment. He’s worked the area’s highways alone for a few days.
“I love it,” he said.
Paysse’s first stop was of a man speeding at 82 miles per hour on I-90. It went smoothly. The driver put up no argument.
But Paysse did encounter a belligerent woman on a coaching run while in training. It was a broken-taillight-stop-turned-DUI-arrest.
“She became real angry,” Paysse said. “We didn’t have to wrestle her down. I had to talk her (agitation) down, then my coach had to talk her down. We finally got the cuffs on her.”
Paysse is a 2009 graduate of Royal High School. He attended college in San Diego, Calif. and McMinnville, Ore.