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Evergreen Ledger

SSB 5367

In Committee

Senate

Law enf. community grants

Concerning grant programs fostering community engagement through law enforcement-community partnerships and immersion.

This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.

How does a bill become law?
  1. Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
  2. Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
  3. Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
  4. Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
  5. Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
  6. Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
Introduced: February 5, 2025
Last Action: January 12, 2026
Status: S Ways & Means
View Bill Text (HTML) (opens in new tab)View Bill Text (PDF) (opens in new tab)

AI Analysis

This analysis was generated by AI and may contain errors. It is not legal advice. Always refer to the official bill text for authoritative information.
People & CommunitiesPeople-leaningCorporate & Wealthy Interests

This bill creates two grant programs to strengthen trust and collaboration between law enforcement and communities: one supporting long-term community engagement initiatives (e.g., youth leadership, neighborhood organizing), and another placing newly hired officers in community organizations for at least 45 days before academy training. It also sets strict requirements for equity, data collection, and program evaluation.

  • Creates a community engagement grant program administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce, supporting neighborhood organizing, law enforcement–community partnerships, youth mobilization, and business engagement across rural and urban counties.
  • Requires grant applicants—including law enforcement agencies—to demonstrate experience in public safety–related community engagement and to partner with organizations focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially those led by people from communities most impacted by racism.
  • Establishes a new community immersion law enforcement grant program, placing newly hired officers in community-based organizations for at least 45 days before attending the basic law enforcement academy to build trust and understanding of the community.
  • Mandates competitive grant awards reviewed by a committee including a law enforcement officer (at or below sergeant rank), a sheriff or police chief, and a community-based organization member.
  • Requires grantees to collect and report data on crime rates and community perceptions of law enforcement, with reports submitted to the legislature every odd-numbered year by December 1.
  • Prohibits grant recipients from paying community-based organizations more than $5,000 per participant and allows use of funds for overtime to cover patrol shifts while officers are in the immersion program.

Who is affected

  • Local law enforcement agencies — Local law enforcement agencies (e.g., police departments and sheriff's offices) can apply for grants to fund community immersion programs for new officers and community engagement initiatives, but only if no other eligible organizations apply in their jurisdiction.
  • Community-based organizations and nonprofits — Nonprofit organizations, community groups, and neighborhood associations with experience in public safety–related community engagement can apply for grants to lead neighborhood organizing, youth mobilization, and business partnerships.
  • Newly hired law enforcement officers — Newly hired law enforcement officers will gain firsthand experience in the communities they will serve by spending at least 45 days embedded in community-based organizations before attending the basic law enforcement academy.
  • Youth and families in underserved communities — Youth and families in communities with high crime or low trust in law enforcement will benefit from youth leadership development, violence prevention, and improved police–community dialogue.
  • Local businesses — Local businesses may receive support to implement safety training and crime prevention strategies to reduce vandalism, burglary, and other property crimes.
Effective: July 1, 2025Fiscal impact: The bill requires appropriation of funds for both the community engagement grant program and the new community immersion law enforcement program. The department of commerce may spend up to 5% of appropriated funds on program administration. No specific dollar amount is specified in the bill.Sunset: January 1, 2029
Model: Intel/Qwen3-Coder-Next-int4-AutoRoundGenerated: Mar 19, 2026 at 8:53 PM

Pro/Con Analysis

Stronger case for benefits

Potential Benefits (5)

  • The community engagement grant program funds neighborhood organizing, youth leadership, and business partnerships aimed at reducing crime through trust-building and prevention — evidence suggests community-led violence interruption and prevention programs reduce homicide and assault rates, especially in high-need neighborhoods.

    Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1(2), Sec. 1(5)(a)-(d)

  • Requiring newly hired officers to spend at least 45 days embedded in community-based organizations before the academy may improve officer-community trust and reduce use-of-force incidents, as shown in pilot programs like Kent’s (cited in the bill) and similar initiatives in other states.

    Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 2(1)-(2), Sec. 2(3)

  • Youth mobilization and business engagement components provide direct skill-building, leadership development, and safety training to underserved youth and local businesses — potentially improving school retention, reducing juvenile justice involvement, and lowering property crime.

    EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 1(5)(c), Sec. 1(5)(d)

  • The requirement for antiracist practices, dialogue on historical racism, and community feedback on law enforcement may help reduce racial disparities in policing and increase accountability — though impact depends on rigorous implementation and oversight.

    Rights & LibertiesLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(3)(d), Sec. 1(5)(b)(ii)-(vii)

  • The program explicitly funds services across both rural and urban counties — helping jurisdictions outside major metropolitan areas access resources they otherwise might not have for community-policing initiatives.

    Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Sec. 1(2)
Potential Concerns (5)

  • The $5,000 per-participant cap on payments to community-based organizations may constrain the ability of smaller or less-resourced organizations to participate meaningfully, especially if their operational costs exceed this amount — potentially limiting program depth and sustainability.

    Business & EmploymentRef: Sec. 2(4)

  • Allowing use of grant funds to cover overtime for patrol shifts while officers are in the immersion program may strain local budgets if not fully reimbursed, especially for small or underfunded agencies that rely heavily on overtime to maintain staffing levels.

    Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 2(5)

  • The restriction that law enforcement agencies may only apply if no other eligible organizations apply in their jurisdiction significantly limits law enforcement’s ability to lead or co-lead projects — potentially delaying implementation and reducing participation from agencies that lack strong local nonprofit partners.

    Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1(4)

  • Mandating that applicants partner with organizations “whose leadership specifically reflects the communities most impacted by racism” is well-intentioned but may unintentionally exclude organizations that have strong community ties but lack formal DEI certifications or leadership demographics that match narrow definitions — potentially narrowing participation to more resourced nonprofits.

    Rights & LibertiesRef: Sec. 1(3)(d)

  • Mandating data collection and reporting on crime rates and community perceptions places administrative burdens on grantees — especially small nonprofits and rural agencies — that may lack staff or technical capacity to comply without additional funding.

    Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(5)(g) and Sec. 2(2)

Who Is Most Affected

Local law enforcement agenciesMixed Impact

Local law enforcement agencies may benefit from increased funding and improved community trust, but face eligibility restrictions and administrative burdens; impact is mixed — positive for agencies with strong community partners, negative for those without.

Community-based organizations and nonprofitsPositive Impact

Community-based organizations, especially those led by people from impacted communities, gain access to funding and authority to lead initiatives — but must meet DEI leadership requirements and face the $5,000 cap on compensation, limiting scalability.

Newly hired law enforcement officersPositive Impact

Newly hired officers gain early exposure to community contexts, potentially reducing bias and improving de-escalation skills — but the program does not guarantee long-term retention of these practices post-academy.

Youth and families in underserved communitiesPositive Impact

Youth in underserved communities gain leadership opportunities and violence prevention support — but benefits depend on program quality and sustained engagement, not guaranteed by the bill.

Local businessesMixed Impact

Local businesses may benefit from safety training and reduced property crime, but the bill does not guarantee funding for small or high-risk businesses — benefits likely concentrated among those already stable or in safer neighborhoods.