For the past few years, the Washington State Patrol has contracted with a Seattle-based advertising firm to conduct recruitment campaigns for the agency. The current campaign does not advertise on any specific websites, including Breitbart News.

The online digital advertising agency is currently only using Facebook for recruitment ads. These Facebook ads target individuals who are likely trooper candidates. The targeting is done through complex Facebook algorithms that follow the user not the content. One example would be if a user indicates they are interested in law enforcement and fit our candidate demographic, then they are likely to see a WSP recruitment ad pop up as they search through content on their Facebook page.

Once the Washington State Patrol became aware the agency Facebook recruiting ads appeared with Breitbart News content, the WSP asked our ad agency to reallocate the advertisements. The agency does not believe some of the views on the website reflect the WSP’s value of a diverse workforce who serves and engages with many different communities. In addition, the web content does not embody our mission of service with humility. The ad agency confirmed that Breitbart News has been blocked from the WSP advertiser network in Facebook.

The Washington State Patrol believes in building strong relationships with the Washington State residents we serve by cultivating community trust which leads to better outcomes. The agency wants to ensure the candidates we seek embody these core values.

The Washington State Patrol is actively recruiting qualified candidates to become troopers. As of August 1, 2017 we have 135 trooper vacancies out of 1100 funded positions. Anyone interested in a career in law enforcement is encouraged to check out www.trooperstories.com.