The Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) provides critical training and support to law enforcement officers (LE) across the state. Funding shortfalls impact the CJTC’s ability to train new officers, support current officers, and carry out
the Commission’s state-mandated duties. We request that our state-elected officials support LE officers by fully funding the CJTC.
As readers know, police reform has been a central issue this legislative session. In both the proposed House and Senate operating budgets the different chambers allocated millions of dollars to fund new police accountability and training programs. However,
there are three critical areas where funding falls short.
- The CJTC requested adequate funding for 15 Basic Law Enforcement Academy classes per year in 2022 and 2023. The House budget met this funding request; however, the Senate only provided adequate funding for 12 classes per year. A lack of classes will
create a training backlog and increase the time agencies have to wait for new officers to be trained. We ask that the Senate adopt the House’s budget language and provide 15 BLEA classes per year.
- The CJTC requested funding to provide mobile training for officers around the state. It is referred to as the Cognitive Command Training (C2 Training) and is delivered via an app to officers’ phones or desktop devices. The CJTC required funding
for 11,000 subscriptions to allow for a full rollout of C2. The app will save travel time, overtime for LE, and allow for timely training, all of which translate into better, safer policing for all Washingtonians. With $750,000, the CJTC would
be able to launch an app providing short clips of essential training for officers to access on the go. Neither the House nor Senate budget provides the requested funding. We ask that both chambers adequately fund the CJTC to develop and launch the app, thereby helping to keep officers well-trained and on the job.
- SB 5051 creates new oversight and accountability rules for LE in Washington. Under the bill, the CJTC would be responsible for investigating
complaints, suspending an officer's certification, and defining new areas of background checks. In other words, the CJTC will play a critical role if SB 5051 is signed into law. Unfortunately, the Senate budget proposal underfunds
the bill by $1.7 million. Without full funding for the bill, the CJTC will be unable to fill needed positions and its capacity to investigate complaint cases will be reduced. We ask that the House and Senate allocate additional funding for the implementation of SB 505 to ensure that the CJTC can fully fill its new responsibilities under the bill.
AWC recognizes and appreciates the essential role the CJTC plays in Washington. We ask that state officials fully fund the CJTC’s requests to ensure that officers are well-trained and ready to take on the many challenges of policing.
Contact your legislators now and encourage them to fully fund the CJTC.