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Inside the Tumwater facility building Washington State Patrol cars

By
FOX 13 Seattle
Tumwater
Published October 27, 2026 4:08 PM PDT
Published October 27, 2026 4:08 PM PDT

The Brief

    • A 10-person crew in Tumwater builds up to 250 Washington State Patrol cruisers each year, producing two vehicles per business day.
    • A new assembly line has cut production time nearly in half, with each fully equipped patrol car costing about $100,000.
    • Patrol vehicles are retired after reaching 150,000 miles, with damaged cruisers returned to Tumwater for repairs or parts.

TUMWATER, Wash. - Inside the Washington State Patrol fleet headquarters in Tumwater, an assembly line of 10 workers turns ordinary vehicles into fully equipped police cruisers.

The small crew produces two completed patrol cars every business day, turning out between 240 and 250 vehicles each year for troopers across the state.

Assembly line cuts production time in half

Each conversion requires 17 to 22 hours of vehicle installation work, along with roughly five hours to build custom wiring harnesses in-house. Crews outfit the vehicles with wiring, radios, radar, emergency gear, cameras, and weapon mounts.

Fleet Installation Supervisor Paul Grijalva said the operation transitioned to a four-stage assembly line about two years ago. The shift streamlined tasks—ranging from drilling antenna mounts to applying decals—and cut overall build time nearly in half.

"These cars are hand-built by folks here in Washington," Grijalva said. "So anytime you see these folks driving, know that car was built here in Washington by folks who have a passion for law enforcement."

WSP Patrol Car Factory In Tumwater

Washington State Patrol cars inside the fleet headquarters in Tumwater. (FOX 13 Seattle)

The cost and lifespan of a cruiser

From bumper to bumper, each completed cruiser costs approximately $100,000, including onboard cameras and specialized law enforcement equipment.

The agency retires patrol vehicles once they reach 150,000 miles, replacing them with newly built units from the Tumwater facility. Mileage accumulation varies widely by region; troopers patrolling larger geographic territories in Eastern Washington often hit the retirement threshold faster.

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A Washington State Patrol car being worked on in Tumwater. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Winter weather and fleet maintenance

Vehicles damaged in collisions are brought back to the Tumwater facility's storage yard, often called the boneyard, for parts salvage or repair.

Grijalva noted that collision intake typically rises during the winter months as severe weather and slick highway conditions increase crash risks across the state.

WSP Patrol Car Factory In Tumwater

Damaged Washington State Patrol cruisers. (FOX 13 Seattle)

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The Source: Information in his story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.

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