The Washington State Patrol announced today that Sergeant Will Knudson has been appointed to the position of Public Information Officer (PIO) within the agency’s Office of Government and Media Relations in Olympia. Knudson replaces Sergeant Jason Hicks who has transferred to the Special Operations Division in Olympia.

Knudson has been with WSP since 2003, and was promoted to Sergeant effective August 1. He most recently patrolled freeways and state routes in the Kelso area as part of the agency’s Field Operations Bureau.

While in FOB, Knudson was also on call for major incidents as part of the agency’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team. He was a team leader for high-risk tactical situations and coordinated training for the team on several critical topics such as room clearing, safety procedures and the use of “less-lethal” weapons systems.

Knudson was president of his recruit academy class. His fellow cadets voted him recipient of the Jim Saunders Core Values Award, which honors the cadet who best exemplifies the core values of the academy and the agency.

The Office of Government and Media Relations responds to media and public inquiries regarding matters of policy or statewide significance. Inquiries regarding collisions or local incidents should be directed to the PIO responsible for that area.

A directory of all WSP Public Information Officers can be found online.