Representing the Washington State Patrol at the Jan. 2004 Partners in Life event in Seattle were (left to right): Lieutenant Greg Miller, Deputy Chief Steve Jewell, Detective Steve Stockwell, Detective Dan Presba and Detective Sergeant Ken Nolandn

Washington State Patrol Detective Steve Stockwell never dreamed that he would be propelled by a chance occurrence into the role of advocate for tissue and cornea donation. Two years ago, he figured out how to help facilitate a tissue and cornea donation on the spur of the moment, acting on the wishes of a grieving father for his son. Since then, he’s spearheaded an innovative new Washington State Patrol program that allows the Patrol to refer traffic fatalities to donation agencies, helped get it up and running smoothly with excellent results and continues to work to improve it.

In January, Puget Sound Blood Center, the Northwest Tissue Services’s parent organization, recognized Det. Stockwell’s drive, energy and compassion by honoring him with its 2004 Service Award at the annual Partners in Life luncheon and awards ceremony in Seattle.

“This whole process has been amazing,” says Det. Stockwell. “It’s turned into so much more than I expected it would.”

Det. Stockwell, a 24-year state patrol veteran, initiated a “POPS” (Problem Oriented Public Safety) program in conjunction with the Northwest Tissue Services and the Northwest Lions Eye Bank. It went from the dream stage to implementation in less than a year. Det. Stockwell introduced a protocol that enables troopers at the scenes of fatal collisions to pass information through State Patrol and referral service communication channels to the donation agencies.

“I didn’t really feel like
it was mine,” says Det. Stockwell
of the vase. “I feel like it
belongs to everyone in the
Washington State Patrol.
I can’t praise them enough.”

The program is especially significant because, with the cooperation of medical examiners, coroners and funeral directors, it helps offer the option of donation to families whose loved ones die outside hospitals and might not otherwise be informed of the possibility to donate.

Hospitals are required by federal law to refer deaths to donation agencies, but no similar regulation covers those who die outside hospitals.

Says Candy Wells, the Tissue Services’s hospital services supervisor, “State Patrol troopers and communications officers are in a unique position to help offer solace to grieving families through donation, and also to aid in the process of providing life-saving and life-enhancing tissue transplants to patients. Det. Stockwell’s dedication is truly inspiring.”

POPS went statewide last November and has proven to be a great success. In front of 800 people at the Partners in Life luncheon, Det. Stockwell received a beautiful hand-blown vase by Seattle glass artist Ginger Kelly.

“I didn’t really feel like it was mine,” says Det. Stockwell of the vase. “I feel like it belongs to everyone in the Washington State Patrol. I can’t praise them enough.” Instead of keeping the vase in his home “on the piano where no one will see it,” Det. Stockwell donated the award to the State Patrol Academy. The vase and interpretive materials explaining the POPS program are now on display in the Academy’s administrative office, “for everyone to see how their support has made this program a success,” says Stockwell.

“State Patrol troopers and
communications officers are in a
unique position to help offer solace
to grieving families through donation,”
say Cindy Wells, Tissue Services
hospital services supervisor.

Based on figures available through May, the program’s results are impressive. Perhaps the greatest testament to Det. Stockwell’s ability to enlist support within the patrol is the 100 percent referral rate of motor vehicle fatalities in Washington State.

After donations in some of these cases were ruled out by coroners or medical examiners, the extent of trauma, the inability to locate family, or the age of the individual involved in the collision, 35 families were contacted. More than half of them agreed to donation. From the beginning of the pilot program through May 2004, there were 150 referrals resulting in seven tissue donors and 15 cornea donors.

In all, more than 125 allografts – many of them vital to orthopedic surgeries that help patients restore range of motion and offer them relief from constant pain – essentially provide patients with the ability once again to participate fully in everyday activities like walking, gardening, dancing and exercising. Donations of skin and heart valves are frequently life-saving, and corneal transplants restore sight.

“Even one donor in this period of time would have made POPS worthwhile because of the contributions the State Patrol is making to public awareness of donation and transplantation. The level of support from the field has been phenomenal. We’re so grateful that our State Patrol is willing to go the extra mile. The POPS program has already made a difference both in donor families’ and recipients’ lives throughout our region,” says Wells.

Det. Stockwell sends periodic e-mails updating the Patrol around the state about donations from POPS referrals. With the help of Tissue Services and State Patrol staff, he is in the process of developing a POPS Web page on the State Patrol intranet that will feature not only educational materials but updates on donations, donor families and recipients.

Because POPS is part of an international policing philosophy that allows officers in the field to turn their ideas into systemwide programs, Det. Stockwell’s brainchild continues to draw attention.

He won a Washington State Patrol Most Exemplary POPS Project of the Year Award in late April. His program has now been submitted to the annual Dr. Herman Goldstein POPS Project competition in Washington, D.C. The competition draws entrants from the international law enforcement community and is judged by an international panel of criminal justice experts.

Dr. Herman Goldstein stressed the need to rely on line officers’ ability to study problems and develop innovative solutions, and to more closely involve the public to ensure that police address its needs. Det. Stockwell easily took these imperatives to heart in his efforts on behalf of donation.

Det. Stockwell also has been given the other opportunities to spread the news about POPS as well. This summer, he will present the project to 15 other state police agencies in Dallas as well as and at traffic safety conferences in locations on the
East Coast.

“We’ve come a long way,” says Det. Stockwell. “And hopefully we’ll be able to go a lot further.”

“The Tissue Services is proud to have participated in the launch of this program in our communities, bringing together the skills of two committed service organizations,” explains Tissue Services Director Margery Moogk. “The unanticipated reward is watching the ripple effect and supporting Det. Stockwell as he extends the benefits of this innovative program well beyond the borders of our region.”