(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, including amounts appropriated from the supplemental criminal justice account created in RCW 43.101.542 , the commission shall develop and implement a local law enforcement grant program for the purpose of providing direct support to local and tribal law enforcement agencies in hiring, retaining, and training law enforcement officers, peer counselors, and behavioral health personnel working in co-response to increase community policing and public safety.
(2) Under this section, the commission shall:
(a) Establish the policies for applications and publish them on the commission's website;
(b) Establish the procedures for submitting the grant applications and publish them on the commission's website;
(c) Establish and publish on the commission's website the criteria for evaluating and selecting grant recipients; and
(d) Create a grant application form that local and tribal law enforcement agencies must use to apply for grant funding.
(3) The grants under the local law enforcement grant program must be awarded to local and tribal law enforcement agencies based on their submittals to the commission. To qualify for a grant pursuant to this section, a law enforcement agency must have:
(a) Issued and implemented policies and practices consistent with RCW 43.17.425 and 10.93.160 , and the office of the attorney general's keep Washington working act guide, model policies, and training recommendations for state and local law enforcement agencies;
(b) Participated in commission training as required by RCW 43.101.455 and 36.28A.445 ;
(c) Issued and implemented policies and practices regarding use of force and de-escalation tactics consistent with RCW 10.120.030 and the office of the attorney general's model policies, and all other commission and attorney general model policies regarding use of force for law enforcement including, but not limited to, duty to intervene and training and use of canine teams;
(d) Implemented use of force data collection and reporting consistent with chapters 10.118 and 10.120 RCW when the program is operational, as confirmed by a notice from the attorney general's office to all police chiefs and sheriffs;
(e) Issued and implemented policies and practices consistent with chapters 7.105 and 9.41 RCW and the commission model policies and training addressing firearm relinquishment pursuant to court orders;
(f) A 25 percent officer completion rate with the commission's 40-hour crisis intervention team training;
(g) A 100 percent officer compliance rate for those officers required to complete trauma-informed, gender-based violence interviewing, investigation, response, and case review training developed or approved by the commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.272 and 43.101.276 , and if requested by the commission, participated in agency case reviews;
(h) Except as it applies to tribal law enforcement agencies, received funding from a sales and use tax authorized pursuant to RCW 82.14.340 or 82.14.450 , or authorized pursuant to RCW 82.14.345 before the awarding of the grant;
(i) A chief of police, marshal, or sheriff who is certified by the criminal justice training commission pursuant to this chapter and who has not:
(i) Been convicted of a felony anywhere in the United States or under foreign law; or
(ii) Been convicted of a gross misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, fraud, or corruption; and
(j) Issued and implemented policies and practices that prohibit volunteers who assist with agency work from enforcing criminal laws, other than for assistance with special event traffic and parking, including engaging in pursuits, detention, arrests, the use of force, or the use of deadly force; carrying or the use of firearms or other weapons; or the use of dogs to track people or animals other than for purposes of search and rescue; and that set forth the required supervision of volunteers, including that they must be clearly identifiable by the public as distinguishable from peace officers and any identifying insignia must be officially issued by the agency and used only when on duty.
(4) In verifying the applicant's compliance with subsection (3) of this section, the commission shall assess the qualifications of the applicant agency under subsection (3)(a) and (c) of this section in consultation with the office of the attorney general.
(5) In addition to the requirements of subsection (3) of this section, in order to qualify for a grant pursuant to this section, a law enforcement agency must provide the commission, at time of application for grant moneys, a detailed staffing plan specifying the following:
(a) The total number of commissioned officers currently employed by the agency;
(b) The total number of specially commissioned officers currently employed by the agency;
(c) The total number of co-response teams established within the agency and what staffing are included in each co-response team;
(d) The total number of administrative staff currently employed by the agency;
(e) The number of officers on flexible work schedules;
(f) The average 911 response rate of the agency over the 12-month period immediately preceding the month in which the agency is applying for the grant; and
(g) The average case closure rate of the agency over the 12-month period immediately preceding the month in which the agency is applying for the grant.
(6) The commission may provide an advance on grant funding to a law enforcement agency that does not qualify under subsection (3)(b), (f), or (g) of this section, but who otherwise meets the grant application criteria established by the commission in subsection (2) of this section. Funds advanced under this subsection must be used by the agency to cover the costs of sending officers to the trainings required under subsection (3) of this section, including any overtime costs.
(7) Grant funding awarded to local and tribal law enforcement agencies may only be used for the purposes of:
(a) Recruiting, funding, and retaining new law enforcement officers from the community in which the officer will be working, and recruiting, funding, and retaining new county corrections officers, peer counselors, and behavioral health personnel working in co-response in Washington state. Grants may provide up to 75 percent of the entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of full-time local or tribal law enforcement officers for a maximum of 36 months, with a minimum 25 percent local cash match requirement and a maximum state share of $125,000 per position. Any additional costs for salaries and benefits higher than entry level are the responsibility of the grant recipient agency. Recruiting lateral hires is not a permissible use of funds under this section;
(b) Funding use of force, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed trainings for officers to remain in compliance with the commission's required trainings; and
(c) Funding broader law enforcement and public safety efforts including, but not limited to, emergency management planning, environmental hazard mitigations, security personnel, community outreach and assistance programs, alternative response programs, and mental health crisis response.
(8) In selecting grant recipients, the commission shall prioritize those law enforcement agency applicants in the following order:
(a) Those who are seeking grants to establish co-response teams or community immersion law enforcement programs;
(b) Those who currently maintain co-response teams and are seeking grants to hire additional law enforcement officers;
(c) All other applicants.
(9) This section expires June 30, 2028.