Trooper Richard Bjorkman, stationed out of the Bellevue office, has been selected as the 2008 Chief Will Bachofner Award, also known as the State Patrol’s 2008 Trooper of the Year. He is only the third trooper from King County to receive the award.

Bjorkman was awarded for his efforts in public safety and community involvement.

During 2008, Trooper Bjorkman apprehended 88 impaired drivers, stopped more than 1,100 speed violators and investigated over 100 collisions. In December, he was struck by an impaired driver while investigating a collision on the shoulder of a roadway and missed nearly a month of work recovering from his injuries.

In addition to his enforcement efforts, Bjorkman also spent hundreds of volunteer hours serving with various charity organizations and community groups.