Special patrols lead to 2 arrests

Officers made 85 contacts and two arrests, one of them for impaired driving, as part of special overtime patrols Jan. 30 aimed at pedestrian safety.

Participating officers — from the Battle Ground, Vancouver and Washougal police department and the Washington State Patrol — also gave 27 warnings and cut 23 tickets.

Vancouver, although the fourth-largest city in the state, ranks second in pedestrian deaths from traffic crashes. After Seattle, Vancouver experienced the most pedestrian fatalities between 2010 and 2014.

In November, nine area law enforcement agencies announced that they received a $60,000 state grant to pay for extra patrols and outreach efforts, all geared toward protecting and educating drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The grant pays for extra officer shifts. In last month’s emphasis patrol, eight officers worked 44 hours combined.

Last year, five pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and another 70 were hurt in Clark County, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

In 2015, five pedestrians were killed in crashes in the county, and in 2014, seven died.