The Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) will reopen its application cycle for HB 2015 public safety grants in June.

The first round of applications ran through March for the $100 million grant pool to support law enforcement and related programs. With 17 applications from round one still under review, a total of $9.9 million has already been awarded to the following eight cities:

• Bellingham
• Black Diamond
• Cle Elum
• East Wenatchee
• Kent
• Lynden
• Port Angeles
• Renton

Cities can apply for grants in more than one round of applications. Adding up the number of pending grant requests along with the grant amounts already awarded, it is possible that this second round could exhaust the program’s $100 million funding.

Because criteria for the second round are not expected to change significantly from the first round, cities are encouraged to begin preparing their materials now by referring to what CJTC requested in the first-round application cycle.

The grant program ends on June 30, 2028. Cities approved by CJTC have until that same date to pass a new councilmanic 0.1% sales tax for public safety as well.

First two cities awarded public safety grant funds – apply by March 31

March 10, 2026

Congratulations to the cities of Kent and Black Diamond for becoming the first two jurisdictions to receive grant funding from the state’s $100 million public safety program.

The Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) announced the grant awards on March 9. Applications are open for the current round of funding until March 31. CJTC says the next grant application round will open on May 1. Your city can apply for a grant at the CJTC’s application site here.

The Kent Police Department will receive $1.92 million to help:

• Hire 20 entry-level officers;
• Provide additional training for officers and supervisors; and
• Install new medical monitoring technology at the Kent Corrections Facility.

The Black Diamond Police Department will receive $375,000 to help:

• Hire one new entry-level police officer;
• Maintain the rapidly growing community’s public safety staffing level;
• Improve response times; and
• Expand community policing.

Seven other cities have applied for the current round of grants. CJTC is offering multiple funding rounds, providing agencies with several opportunities to apply for grant funds through June 30, 2028.

Although being CJTC-authorized to impose the new public safety sales tax confirms eligibility for the grants, cities do not need to impose that sales tax to apply for the grant. To learn more about grant eligibility and potential uses for public safety in your community, please visit AWC’s HB 2015 information page.

Deadline extended! Apply for the first round of HB 2015 public safety grants by March 31

February 18, 2026

HB 2015 established a statewide Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC)-administered $100 million grant program to help local law enforcement agencies hire, retain, and train officers and co-responders.

CJTC opened the first grants cycle in January. Applications now close March 31. Apply now!

Grant funding may be used to:

• Recruit, hire, and retain new entry-level law enforcement officers;
• Support co-response teams, including peer counselors and behavioral health professionals;
• Cover required training, including crisis intervention and trauma-informed practices; and
• Support community outreach and broader public safety response efforts.

CJTC is offering multiple funding rounds, providing agencies with several opportunities to apply for grant funds through June 30, 2028. CJTC requires that cities that contract with an external law enforcement agency for patrol services apply for grant funding through that agency, even if the intended use of the grant is for city safety services that do not involve that agency.

CJTC announces first two jurisdictions to receive final approval for HB 2015 grant & sales tax eligibility

January 30, 2026

Congratulations to the City of Kent and King County for achieving the state’s first eligibility approvals for the HB 2015 public safety sales tax and $100 million grants.

Because of this approval, Kent’s councilmanic 0.1% public safety sales tax (authorized under RCW 82.14.345) becomes permanent, and the city is eligible to obtain a share of the new $100 million law enforcement grants program, for which applications opened in January.

King County’s authorization means the 13 cities that contract with the county for public safety services can likewise collect the tax permanently and apply for the grants in the initial cycle, which closes February 28.

Visit CJTC’s program website for more information.

AWC remains committed to improving the programs for cities and has requested several legislative improvements in the current session:

1. Empower contract cities to apply independently: Cities that contract out law enforcement are required to co-apply with their contract agencies (usually, the county sheriff), which gives the external contracted agency undue authority over the city’s policy. Many public safety uses specified in HB 2015 (co-response, public defense, etc.) fall outside a law enforcement service contract.
2. Create a property tax option: Cities would like an option to implement a small property tax increase instead of a 0.1% sales tax because many cities do not have substantial retail sales revenues.
3. Clarify the application timeline: Cities currently must come into compliance within 180 days of submitting their application or face a withholding of tax revenues. Days come off the clock while CJTC evaluates the application, which has taken about 40 days per application. The deadline should be triggered by CJTC’s notification of what needs improvement.
4. Prorate the penalty fee: The noncompliance penalty is a flat withholding of $100,000 per month per jurisdiction from the new tax, which would take 100% of HB 2015 sales tax revenues from about 240 of Washington’s 281 cities if each one enacted the tax. We suggest a 50% withholding penalty instead for those with applicable revenues of less than $200,000 a month.

CJTC’s $100 million grant program for public safety now open

January 9, 2026

Cities can now apply for funding through the $100 million public safety grant program established by HB 2015.

Last week, the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) opened applications for the three-year program, created to improve statewide staffing and resources for local police and co-responders.

Cities that qualify for the grants can also enact a permanent 0.1% sales tax to fund criminal justice. The CJTC also announced that cities that contract out jail services can qualify for the grant and tax independent of the jail operator.

Learn more at the CJTC’s HB 2015 site and apply for the first round of grants by February 28.

Ongoing advocacy on improving the programs for cities

AWC spent much time during the legislative interim talking to cities, police chiefs, public safety partners, legislators, and CJTC staff about the logistics of standing up the two programs created in the bill.

Thanks to your city feedback, we are advocating this legislative session for four critical changes to improve these time- and resource-intensive logistics and give all cities access to the substantial new resources.

We are asking the Legislature to:

1. Empower contract cities to apply independently: Cities that contract out law enforcement are required to co-apply with their contract agencies (usually, the county sheriff), which gives the external contracted agency undue authority over the city’s policy. Many public safety uses specified in HB 2015 (co-response, public defense, etc.) fall outside a law enforcement service contract.
2. Create a property tax option: Cities would like an option to implement a small property tax increase instead of a 0.1% sales tax because retail sales revenues aren’t substantial in many cities.
3. Clarify the application timeline: Cities currently must come into compliance within 180 days of submitting their application or face a withholding of tax revenues. Days come off the clock while CJTC evaluates the application (average response time has been about 40 days so far). The deadline should be triggered by CJTC’s notification of what needs improvement.
4. Prorate the penalty fee:The noncompliance penalty is a flat withholding of $100,000 per month per jurisdiction from the new tax, which would take 100% of HB 2015 sales tax revenues from about 240 of Washington’s 281 cities if they all enacted the tax. We suggest a 50% withholding penalty instead for those with applicable revenues of less than $200,000 a month.