Washington State Patrol Honored These 4 Fallen Troopers This Week

This week Washington State Patrol took time to honor 4 fallen troopers.

Fallen but Not Forgotten Washington State Troopers

The Washington State Patrol honored 4 different fallen troopers this week in multiple ways.

District 2 Headquarters for the Washington State Patrol held a memorial for two fallen troopers, and the Washington State Patrol's social media accounts shared pictures and stories of these heroes lost.

Patrolman Allen E. Ludden

Patrolman Ludden lost his life after losing control of his motorcycle in the line of duty. He was killed on Tuesday, March 15, 1938, after only 18 months of serving with the Washington State Patrol.

He was the 7th patrol officer to lose his life in the line of duty in the State of Washington. He was also a World War 1 veteran, a father of 2 boys, and was married according to the Washington State Patrol.

Patrolman Conard Tolson

Patrolman Tolson was originally from Tennessee, married, and the father of a daughter named Bruce Lee. He was a US Army Veteran and joined the Washington State Patrol in 1928.

Patrolman Tolson was killed only 6 months later on March 24, 1929, at the age of 39 in the line of duty. He died after sustaining injuries from a collision between his motorcycle and another car on a Seattle highway.

On May 2016, Patrolman Tolson was awarded the Medal of Honor according to the Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation.

Trooper Steven L. Frink

Trooper Steven Frink was originally from Nebraska, born in 1924. His family moved to Washington State in 1955 where he spent most of his childhood. He worked for the Forest Service from 1975-1978 and served in the military under Military Police Investigations (MPI) and the Criminal Investigation Division. He was a Bellevue Police Department support officer in 1984 and joined the Washington State Patrol in 1985.

Trooper Steven Fink was killed on Monday, March 22, 1993, when he swerved to avoid a car he was chasing that crashed. He crashed himself and then died 4 days later in the hospital. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

Trooper Justin R. Schaffer

Washington State Trooper Schaffer was only 28 years old when he was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. He had served the Washington State Patrol for 7 years and was survived by his wife and both his parents. He was killed in the line of duty while trying to deploy spike strips to a car being pursued. The car struck Trooper Schaffer