SPOKANE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A state patrol trooper just hit a big milestone in his fight to stop impaired drivers.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) recently announced that Trooper Barry Marcus made his 4,000th career DUI arrest on April 30, 2024.
Hailing from Spokane, Marcus has spent 23 of his 32 years on the road working the particularly dangerous weekend night shift. He says his experiences at fatal collisions and speaking to the victims’ families have inspired his effort to make the roads safer.
“People that haven’t had to do that or see that, they don’t quite understand,” said Marcus. “But to me, it’s lit a flame that keeps burning pretty bright as far as what I want to try to stop that and then keep other people from having to experience that.”
Marcus says lane departures are the main thing he looks for when searching for impaired drivers.
Fellow troopers describe him as “legendary” and say his impact on the public is immeasurable.
“At 4,000 DUIs, you never truly know how many lives you have saved over the years, but he has saved a lot,” said Trooper John Axtman, a breath test technician with WSP.
Marcus says he gives his wife and family “tremendous credit” for allowing him to work the high-risk schedule.
