Washington State Patrol pays $340,000 over deleted COVID vaccine mandate records: A case study in government transparency failures

Washington State Patrol pays $340,000 over deleted COVID vaccine mandate records: A case study in government transparency failures

Washington State Patrol agreed to pay $340,000 to settle allegations it deleted or withheld records related to firing employees who refused COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Former troopers and detectives accused the agency of using an “unconstitutional policy of automated deletion of chats.”
An internal memo from Patrol Chief John Batiste instructed employees to delete work-related texts “promptly after they have served their intended purpose.”
132 WSP employees lost their jobs over the mandate, including 70 troopers.
Settlement comes amid broader scrutiny of Washington agencies’ use of auto-deletion policies during and after the pandemic.

Read Full Article: https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-05-30-wsp-pays-over-deleted-covid-vaccine-mandate-records.html