TRI-CITIES, Wash.- Local police got major help with the heavy lift of keeping the roads safe during Water Follies weekend in the form of the Washington State Patrol Aviation Section.
Washington State Patrol expected an extra 65,000 people in the Tri-Cities area through the weekend, according to Trooper Daniel Mosqueda, with ‘well over’ 10,000 more cars on the highways.
Mosqueda noted one reckless driving incident from Water Follies weekend on I-82 south of Kennewick in 2024.
“The only reason we were able to stop this 18-year-old male driver that was doing 161 miles an hour was because of our aviation unit helping us,” Trooper Mosqueda said.
Taking flight in a Cessna 206 based out of Olympia, pilot Bart Maupin and Tactical Flight Officer Bryce Kehn provided a watchful eye Friday through Sunday of Water Follies weekend.
The results were clear:
2024 WSP contacts
10 DUIs
122 aggressive drivers
417 speeders
2025 WSP contacts
7 DUIs
100 aggressive drivers
293 speeders
Trooper Maupin flies the Cessna as Trooper Kehn uses a tablet to operate a camera mounted on the underside of the plane’s left wing.
The Teledyne FLIR camera system has infrared capabilities for use in finding and keeping sight of suspects during pursuits in the dark of night and GPS technology to determine the speed at which drivers travel.
Three drivers led authorities on a pursuit during 2025 Water Follies weekend.
Mosqueda noted that, among 14 crashes they investigated, troopers in the Tri-Cities area did not see a single deadly crash.
