Most Washington police officers lag on required training

Most Washington police officers lag on required training

Most Washington police officers have yet to complete required deescalation and cultural awareness training, according to a new state audit.

Why it matters: The training is required by Initiative 940, a police accountability law Washington voters approved in 2018.

  • The law's stated intent is to reduce officer uses of force and improve trust between police and communities.

    • By the numbers: Only 14% of new officers and 16% of veteran officers had finished the mandatory 40 hours of continuing training as of last May, the most recent data analyzed by the State Auditor's Office shows.

  • New officers must complete the training within three years of graduating from the police academy, while officers who graduated before May 2020 have until 2028 to comply.

    • What they're saying: "We found that, for the most part, officers in the state are not meeting the requirements established in state law," according to the audit, which was released last month.

  • At the current rate, about half of all officers will not complete the required patrol tactics training by 2028, the audit states.

    • Catch up quick: The training includes 24 hours of patrol tactics lessons, plus 16 hours of cultural awareness courses.

  • The cultural courses are mostly online and self-guided, covering topics such as mass incarceration and the intersection of race and policing.

    • Zoom in: Seattle's completion rates are stronger than the statewide average, though the department still has gaps.

  • About 93% of Seattle police officers had completed the required patrol tactics training as of last year, department spokesperson Patrick Michaud told Axios. SPD offered the three-day course through its own training division.
  • But only 534 of the department's 969 sworn officers — about 55% — had completed one or more cultural awareness courses, Michaud said. He did not specify how many officers had fully completed that requirement.

    • The other side: Steve Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, told Axios that smaller agencies struggle to send officers to training without compromising local police staffing.

  • A chief or sheriff "is not going to be able to say, 'I'm sorry no one can come to your 911 call because they are at state-mandated training,'" he said.
  • Strachan said he also thinks the audit may undercount actual training completion rates, and that some agencies may not be accurately reporting training to the state.

    • Yes, but: David Quinlan, a spokesperson for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, said any unreported training would not "materially change" the overall results.

  • Quinlan said the agency, which develops the required officer training, "generally agrees" with the audit's findings and recommendations.

    • What's next: The audit recommends the Legislature convene a working group to address compliance and clarify consequences for agencies and officers that don't meet the requirements.

  • The group should also explore funding options to help agencies send officers to training, the audit says.