The Washington State Patrol Honor Guard took second place at the National Police Honor Guard Competition during the 2008 National Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C. May 11-16. The honor guard participated in the honor guard competition and the National Police Week Memorial Ceremony.

The competition consisted of three phases: uniform inspections, color posting ceremony and exhibition. During the uniform inspection, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s Old Guard, who are responsible for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, inspected the teams. The second phase of the competition was focused on which team best followed flag protocol during a colors posting ceremony. Lastly, the teams were given eight minutes to demonstrate their drill and ceremony skills as well as precision teamwork.

The WSP Honor Guard competed against 22 teams representing police agencies from across the United States and Canada. The WSP Honor Guard was the only state law enforcement agency to earn a medal. The U.S. Border Patrol took the gold medal and the Washington, D.C. Capitol Police took the bronze.

The Honor Guard consisted of eight troopers who volunteered many hours outside their normal police duties to practice and rehearse for this competition. The WSP Memorial Foundation, WSP Troopers Association and state patrol sponsored the Honor Guard’s trip to D.C.

Washington State Patrol was recognized nationally as the best state police agency of its size in 2006 and then awarded the Best Dressed State Law Enforcement Agency for 2007.