The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is actively seeking information on police impersonators in the Skagit Valley area, such as a Crown Victoria with push bars, the agency said in a release dated Tuesday, October 20. The patrol asked anyone who witnesses or is contacted by a police impersonator on the state highway system in the Skagit Valley to contact Trooper Ryan Thomas by email at ryan.thomas@wsp.wa.gov.

Source: Washington State Patrol

There have been eight 911 calls regarding police impersonators in Skagit County since January 1, 2026, WSP Trooper Kelsey Harding told My Bellingham Now (KGMI). Harding said the release was not issued in relation to any specific incident, and added that it is hard to say how many of the reported impersonators were actual offenders, since the descriptions could easily have been referring to unmarked police cars.

Source: My Bellingham Now (KGMI)

8911 calls about police impersonators in Skagit County since Jan. 1, 2026, WSP said
Oct. 20Date of the State Patrol's public appeal
RCW 9A.60.047Washington law defining false identification as a peace officer, cited by WSP

In its release, the patrol cited Revised Code of Washington 9A.60.047, which defines false identification as a peace officer as claiming to be a peace officer, or creating the impression of being one, and doing an act with intent to convey the impression of acting in an official capacity — such as using a vehicle, wearing clothing, or displaying an item bearing a law-enforcement insignia.

The appeal matters for drivers on Skagit Valley highways, including the many Punjabi-origin truckers and commuters who use Washington's highway corridors: the patrol is asking motorists who believe they have seen a police impersonator on a state highway to report it to Trooper Ryan Thomas rather than rely on social-media posts. The release was sent by Trooper Kelsey Harding, the patrol's District 7 public information officer, My Bellingham Now reported.

What is solid

  • WSP issued a public appeal on Oct. 20 seeking information on police impersonators in the Skagit Valley, naming a Crown Victoria with push bars as an example vehicle, per the agency's own release.
  • A WSP spokesperson put the number of 911 calls about impersonators in Skagit County this year at eight, per My Bellingham Now (KGMI).

What is only claimed

  • WSP itself cautions that it is not known how many of the eight reports involved actual impersonators, because some descriptions could have referred to unmarked police cars; the appeal was not tied to one specific incident.