Local law enf. officers

AN ACT Relating to increasing local law enforcement officers by 1
authorizing a local sales and use tax credited against the state 2
portion to hire additional officers and increasing the number of 3
basic law enforcement courses offered by the criminal justice 4
training commission; reenacting and amending RCW 43.101.200; adding a 5
new section to chapter 82.14 RCW; and creating a new section.6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds the people of 8
Washington have more reason to fear for their safety, with the 9
incidence of violent crimes such as murder, rape, and aggravated 10
assault reaching 25-year highs in the past few years, while the rate 11
of property crime has ranked second highest in the nation over the 12
past five years. The legislature also finds Washington ranks last in 13
the nation for law enforcement officers per capita.14
(2) The legislature finds the counties and cities of Washington 15
should be served by a number of law enforcement officers at least 16
equal to the national average per capita, and that law enforcement 17
agencies should be encouraged to invest in innovative crime reduction 18
efforts when possible. To avoid placing more burden on local 19
governments and to promote equitable and consistent enforcement of 20
laws among jurisdictions, it is therefore the intent of the 21
H-1154.2
HOUSE BILL 1896
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Abell, Richards, Engell, Schmidt, Klicker, and
Jacobsen
Read first time 02/07/25. Referred to Committee on Finance.
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legislature to provide a source of funding to support additional 1
local investments in law enforcement and public safety, with the goal 2
of reducing violent and property crime. 3
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 82.14 4
RCW to read as follows: 5
(1)(a) A county or city legislative authority may impose a sales 6
and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The rate of 7
tax under this section is 0.10 percent of the selling price, in the 8
case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the case of a 9
use tax. 10
(b) For a city imposing the sales and use tax under this section, 11
if the county in which the city is located also imposes the tax, the 12
city sales and use tax must be credited against the county tax.13
(2) The tax authorized in this section is in addition to any 14
other taxes authorized by law and must be collected from those 15
persons who are taxable by the state under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 16
RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the county. The 17
tax authorized under this section is a credit against the state tax 18
under chapter 82.08 or 82.12 RCW. The department must perform the 19
collection of such taxes on behalf of the county or city at no cost 20
to the county or city and must remit the tax to the jurisdiction as 21
provided in RCW 82.14.060. 22
(3)(a) Subject to (b) of this subsection, all money received 23
under this section must be used solely for employing additional 24
commissioned law enforcement officers. 25
(b) If the local commissioned rate per 1,000 population is 26
greater than the national commissioned rate per 1,000 population, the 27
city or county may use money received under this section in the 28
current calendar year for criminal justice purposes. To determine the 29
local and national commissioned rate per 1,000 population, law 30
enforcement employment data and jurisdictional population data 31
provided to the federal uniform crime program, as of October of the 32
prior calendar year, must be used. 33
(4) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions 34
apply. 35
(a) "Criminal justice purposes" means activities that 36
substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include 37
circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system 38
occurs, and which includes domestic violence services such as those 39
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provided by domestic violence programs, community advocates, and 1
legal advocates, as defined in RCW 70.123.020. After May 13, 2021, 2
through December 31, 2026, criminal justice purposes includes local 3
government programs that have a reasonable relationship to reducing 4
the number of people interacting with the criminal justice system 5
including, but not limited to, reducing homelessness and improving 6
behavioral health. 7
(b) "Local commissioned rate per 1,000 population" means the 8
total full-time commissioned law enforcement officers of the city or 9
county, divided by the population, and multiplied by 1,000.10
(c) "National commissioned rate per 1,000 population" means the 11
total full-time commissioned law enforcement officers for all 12
agencies, divided by the total agency population, and multiplied by 13
1,000. 14
(d) "Uniform crime program" means the federal law enforcement 15
reporting and statistics program operated by the criminal justice 16
information services division of the federal bureau of investigation.17
Sec. 3. RCW 43.101.200 and 2024 c 376 s 908 are each amended to 18
read as follows: 19
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, all law 20
enforcement personnel, except volunteers, and reserve officers 21
whether paid or unpaid, initially employed on or after January 1, 22
1978, shall engage in basic law enforcement training which complies 23
with standards adopted by the commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.080. 24
For personnel initially employed before January 1, 1990, such 25
training shall be successfully completed during the first ((fifteen)) 26
15 months of employment of such personnel unless otherwise extended 27
or waived by the commission and shall be requisite to the 28
continuation of such employment. Personnel initially employed on or 29
after January 1, 1990, shall commence basic training during the first 30
six months of employment unless the basic training requirement is 31
otherwise waived or extended by the commission. Successful completion 32
of basic training is requisite to the continuation of employment of 33
such personnel initially employed on or after January 1, 1990.34
(2)(a) All law enforcement personnel who are limited authority 35
Washington peace officers and whose employment commences on or after 36
July 1, 2023, shall commence basic training during the first 12 37
months of employment unless the basic training requirement is 38
otherwise waived or extended by the commission. Successful completion 39
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of basic training is requisite to the continuation of employment of 1
such personnel initially employed on or after July 1, 2023.2
(b)(i) The commission shall review the training files of all law 3
enforcement personnel who are limited authority Washington peace 4
officers, whose employment commenced prior to July 1, 2023, and who 5
have not successfully completed training that complies with standards 6
adopted by the commission, to determine what, if any, supplemental 7
training is required to appropriately carry out the officers' duties 8
and responsibilities. 9
(ii) Nothing in this section may be interpreted to require law 10
enforcement personnel who are limited authority Washington peace 11
officers, whose employment commenced prior to July 1, 2023, to 12
complete the basic law enforcement training academy as a condition of 13
continuing employment as a limited authority Washington peace 14
officer. 15
(iii) Law enforcement personnel who are limited authority 16
Washington peace officers are not required to complete the basic law 17
enforcement academy or an equivalent basic academy upon transferring 18
to a general authority Washington law enforcement agency or limited 19
authority Washington law enforcement agency, as defined in RCW 20
10.93.020, if they have: 21
(A) Been employed as a special agent with the Washington state 22
gambling commission, been a natural resource investigator with the 23
department of natural resources, been a liquor enforcement officer 24
with the liquor and cannabis board, been an investigator with the 25
office of the insurance commissioner, or been a park ranger with the 26
Washington state parks and recreation commission, before or after 27
July 1, 2023; and 28
(B) Received a certificate of successful completion from the 29
basic law enforcement academy or the basic law enforcement 30
equivalency academy and thereafter engaged in regular and 31
commissioned law enforcement employment with an agency listed in 32
(b)(iii)(A) of this subsection without a break or interruption in 33
excess of 24 months; and 34
(C) Remained current with the in-service training requirements as 35
adopted by the commission by rule. 36
(3) Except as provided in RCW 43.101.170, the commission shall 37
provide the aforementioned training and shall have the sole authority 38
to do so. The commission shall provide necessary facilities, 39
supplies, materials, and the board and room of noncommuting attendees 40
p. 4 HB 1896
for seven days per week, except during the 2017-2019, 2019-2021, and 1
2021-2023 fiscal biennia, and during fiscal year 2024, when the 2
employing, county, city, or state law enforcement agency shall 3
reimburse the commission for ((twenty-five)) 25 percent of the cost 4
of training its personnel. Additionally, to the extent funds are 5
provided for this purpose, the commission shall reimburse to 6
participating law enforcement agencies with ((ten)) 10 or less full-7
time commissioned patrol officers the cost of temporary replacement 8
of each officer who is enrolled in basic law enforcement training: 9
PROVIDED, That such reimbursement shall include only the actual cost 10
of temporary replacement not to exceed the total amount of salary and 11
benefits received by the replaced officer during his or her training 12
period: 13
PROVIDED FURTHER, That limited authority Washington law 14
enforcement agencies as defined in RCW 10.93.020 shall reimburse the 15
commission for the full cost of training their personnel.16
(4) Beginning with fiscal year 2026, the commission must provide 17
at least 27 basic law enforcement training classes. Beginning with 18
fiscal year 2027, the commission must provide at least 28 basic law 19
enforcement training classes each fiscal year. The legislature must 20
appropriate sufficient funding to the commission for this purpose.21
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