Fewer state troopers will be patrolling Whidbey Island, but those who do will be sneakier, cruise more unexpected places and will have less mercy on speeders.

“Collisions are up, fatals are up, population is up and troopers are down,” said Sgt. Don Ney, who’s based out of the patrol’s Oak Harbor office.

In response, troopers are going to cut speeders less slack and hand out more tickets. In the past, they’ve been pretty nice. On Whidbey Island, only 38 percent of drivers who are pulled over for violations are actually cited. Statewide, 44 percent are cited.

“We’ve been a little lenient,” Ney said. “We don’t want to be enablers.”

There’s been a sharp increase in the number of collisions on the island this year as compared to the previous year. Ney said troopers, for example, investigated twice as many collisions in August of this year as compared to August 2004.

State troopers statewide are going to be focusing on stopping speeders. Both collisions and fatalities are up this year. Collisions are up 4 percent over last year and 3 percent were attributed to speed.

In fact, speed has eclipsed drinking and driving as the number one cause of accidents.

From the beginning of the year through Oct. 16, a total of 84 people have died in 73 car accidents in the four-county area of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish. During the same months in 2004, 56 people died in 54 accidents.

Ney said there’s a disproportionate number of rear-end accidents that occur on the island, which he attributes to speeding and following too closely. While troopers don’t see much in the way of high speeds — like the 100 mph speeders on I-5 — cars traveling 5 to 15 mph over the limit can be dangerous. The two-lane highways often have small or no shoulders that cars can swerve onto.

To help catch speeders, Ney said the troopers have a couple of new tools. Ney drives a spiffy silver 2004 Chevrolet Impala that’s completely unmarked. It doesn’t even have the extra antenna that gives away other unmarked police cars.

Also, troopers are equipped with Stalker radar that monitors cars oncoming and from behind, or both at the same time.

Troopers will be handing out more tickets, but Ney said it’s not a way to get more money. The Patrol’s budget isn’t affected by the number of tickets they issue.

“It’s about behavior modification,” he said. “It’s about getting people to make smart choices.”

But the emphasis on speeding doesn’t mean troopers aren’t paying attention to drinking and driving. Last year troopers on the island made 351 DUI arrests. Ney said they’ll probably meet or exceed that next year.

In the past, troopers on Whidbey primarily patrolled the 62 miles of highway that runs down the spine of the island. In the future, Ney said drivers should expect to see troopers on county roads more often.

Last year, the majority of fatal accidents in the district occurred on county roads.

“The county’s not real pro-active with it,” Ney said, “so we’re going to help them.”

Jan Smith, the Island County Sheriff’s spokesperson, said the department welcomes any additional patrols. She said they have a limited number of deputies who are kept busy responding from call to call. The only time they really have to catch speeders is when they’re returning from a call or heading to a non-emergency call.

“The days of when our deputies were able to do strictly patrol on county roads is long gone,” she said.

While the motorcycle season is passing as winter approaches, Ney said troopers will be paying special attention to motorcyclists over the next year. The two-wheeled vehicles are extremely popular in the state right now, but troopers are finding that many people don’t have the current motorcycle endorsements. That means many motorcyclists don’t know what they are doing.

According to the Department of Licensing, there’s been a 60 percent increase in the number of motorcycles registered since 2000, but only a 12 percent increase in the number of license endorsements.

Unfortunately, the patrol is also seeing an increase in motorcycle accidents. In 2003, 59 people died on motorcycles statewide. From January through September of this year, 64 motorcyclists died.

“Motorcycles are very unforgiving of mistakes,” Ney said.

At a time when collisions are up, the State Patrol office in Oak Harbor is going to lose one trooper position.

“We’re going to be patrolling this island with six people, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Ney said.

The State Patrol, Ney said, is losing a recruiting battle due to low wages. The organization ranks 88th among law enforcement statewide. In 2000, 92 cadets graduated from the patrol academy. This year, only 23 did.

Yet Ney said it’s a great job. By patrolling roads, state troopers probably do more to keep people safe than people in just about any other kind of job. But it’s a job that’s not always appreciated.

“People think the worst thing that can happen to them is to get pulled over,” he said. “They don’t understand that we’re just trying to help keep the roads safe.”