2SSB 5974
SignedSenate
Local law enforcement
Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill updates eligibility, background check, and accountability standards for sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals, and restricts the roles of non–certified personnel like volunteers and youth cadets to non–enforcement support functions. It requires background investigations before election or appointment, mandates certification maintenance, and establishes clear limits on authority for non–sworn personnel to enhance professionalism and public trust.
- Establishes uniform eligibility requirements for sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals—including age (25+), education (high school diploma or equivalent), five years of full-time law enforcement experience, clean criminal record, and mandatory certification—and requires background investigations before election or appointment.
- Requires sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals to maintain peace officer certification; failure to do so creates a vacancy in office.
- Prohibits volunteers, youth cadets, and specially commissioned officers from performing law enforcement duties (e.g., arrests, use of force, carrying weapons, enforcing immigration laws) unless they are certified peace officers.
- Mandates that agencies and local governments adopt policies and ordinances by January 1, 2027, to supervise non–certified personnel, restrict their roles to non–enforcement support functions (e.g., traffic management, parks assistance, search and rescue), and ensure they are visibly distinguishable from sworn officers.
- Strengthens background investigation requirements for all peace officers—including social media review, psychological exams, polygraph, immigration status verification, and review of prior misconduct—while making most investigation records confidential and creating a publicly searchable certification database.
- Repeals outdated statutes on police matrons (1894 law) and clarifies that sheriffs may only call on volunteers and cadets for non–enforcement support roles.
Who is affected
- Elected and appointed law enforcement leaders (sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals) — Sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals must meet new eligibility standards, including minimum age (25), education (high school diploma or equivalent), clean criminal record, five years of full-time law enforcement experience, and mandatory background checks before election or appointment. Certification must be maintained or the office becomes vacant.
- Volunteers, youth cadets, and specially commissioned officers — Volunteers, youth cadets, and specially commissioned officers must be clearly identified as non–peace officers, cannot perform law enforcement duties (e.g., arrests, use of force, carrying weapons), and must be supervised by certified officers. Agencies and local governments must adopt policies and ordinances by January 1, 2027.
- Local governments (counties and cities) — Counties and cities must adopt new policies and local laws governing use of non–certified personnel, conduct background investigations for sheriff candidates and appointees, and ensure compliance with updated eligibility and accountability standards.
- Washington state patrol and criminal justice training commission — The Washington state patrol and criminal justice training commission must conduct background investigations for sheriff candidates and appointees, verify eligibility, and maintain a public database of certification and decertification actions.
Pro/Con Analysis
Potential Benefits (5)
Establishes uniform eligibility requirements for sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals—including minimum age (25), education (high school diploma or equivalent), clean criminal record, five years of full-time law enforcement experience, and mandatory background checks—ensuring a baseline of professional competence and reducing risk of unqualified individuals holding leadership roles. This enhances public safety by raising standards across all jurisdictions.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 36.28.025(1)(b), Sec. 35.21.333(1)(b)Mandates that sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals maintain peace officer certification or face automatic vacancy, creating strong accountability for continued professional standards and reducing risk of decertified individuals remaining in office. This protects public trust and ensures leadership remains current on training and ethics.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 36.28.025(1)(i), Sec. 35.21.333(1)(i), Sec. 35.21.334(1)Requires the Criminal Justice Training Commission to issue guidelines by December 31, 2027, for background investigation disqualification criteria, ensuring consistent, evidence-based standards across agencies and reducing arbitrary or inconsistent hiring decisions. This promotes fairness and reduces bias in law enforcement recruitment.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 13(2)(viii), Sec. 13(9)(a)Creates a publicly searchable, machine-readable database of certifications, decertifications, and misconduct findings, increasing transparency and enabling communities to hold law enforcement accountable. This empowers public oversight and improves trust in the system.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 17 (amending RCW 43.101.400(4))Expands automatic vacancy provisions to include failure to maintain certification or violation of eligibility requirements, strengthening accountability and ensuring that officers who no longer meet professional standards are removed from office. This protects public safety by preventing continued service by unqualified personnel.
Public SafetyLean peopleRef: Sec. 12 (amending RCW 42.12.010(9)), Sec. 11 (adding to ch. 36.28 RCW)
Potential Concerns (5)
Volunteers and youth cadets are prohibited from performing law enforcement duties (e.g., arrests, use of force, carrying weapons, immigration enforcement), reducing risk of misconduct by untrained personnel and increasing public clarity about who holds sworn authority. This enhances community trust and reduces potential for harmful incidents involving non-certified personnel.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 6(1)(a), Sec. 7(1)(a), Sec. 10(1)(a), Sec. 9(9)(a)(i)Mandates that non-certified personnel be visibly distinguishable from sworn officers (e.g., through uniform and badge limitations, no face coverings), reducing public confusion and potential impersonation of law enforcement. This strengthens accountability and transparency in community interactions.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 6(2)(a), Sec. 7(2)(a), Sec. 10(2)(a), Sec. 9(9)(a)(ii)Limits permissible roles for volunteers to non-enforcement support functions (e.g., traffic management, parks assistance, search and rescue), reducing exposure to high-risk situations for untrained personnel and aligning volunteer roles with community service rather than coercion or enforcement. This improves safety for both volunteers and the public.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 6(1)(b), Sec. 7(1)(b), Sec. 10(1)(b), Sec. 9(9)(a)(ii)Requires agencies and local governments to adopt policies and ordinances by January 1, 2027, ensuring consistent, jurisdiction-wide standards for use of non-certified personnel. This prevents patchwork policies and creates uniform accountability across Washington.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 6(2)(a), Sec. 7(2)(a), Sec. 10(2)(a), Sec. 9(9)(a)(ii)Expands background investigation requirements to include psychological exams, polygraph, social media review, and immigration status verification, improving screening for suitability and reducing risk of hiring officers with undisclosed misconduct or instability. This strengthens integrity of law enforcement hiring.
Public SafetyRef: Sec. 13(2)(v), Sec. 13(2)(vi), Sec. 13(2)(vii), Sec. 13(2)(iv)
Who Is Most Affected
Sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals must meet new eligibility standards—including age (25+), education (HS diploma or equivalent), five years of full-time law enforcement experience, clean record, and mandatory background checks—potentially disqualifying some current officeholders who lack these qualifications. This raises professional standards but may reduce local choice in elections where incumbents lack formal qualifications.
Volunteers, youth cadets, and specially commissioned officers are now restricted to non-enforcement roles (e.g., traffic management, parks assistance, search and rescue) and must be visibly distinguishable from sworn officers. This reduces risk of misconduct and confusion but may limit volunteer opportunities for youth seeking law enforcement experience, potentially reducing pipeline development for future officers.
Counties and cities must adopt new policies and ordinances by January 1, 2027, conduct background investigations for sheriff candidates/appointees, and ensure compliance with updated standards. This increases administrative costs and legal liability risk for local governments but improves accountability and reduces risk of hiring unqualified personnel.
The Washington State Patrol and Criminal Justice Training Commission must conduct background investigations for sheriff candidates/appointees, maintain a public certification database, and issue guidelines by December 31, 2027. This increases state administrative burden and costs but enhances oversight and transparency of law enforcement standards.