Sen. Jeff Holy, the Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, joined a handful of other legislators and statewide officials at today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new law-enforcement training center in Arlington. Gov. Bob Ferguson and Monica Alexander, executive director of the state Criminal Justice Training Commission, spoke at the event.
“This new training facility was built to provide state-of-the-art training for incoming recruits to become highly effective law-enforcement officers in Washington,” said Holy, R-Cheney.
The new Northwest Regional Campus includes a Basic Law Enforcement Academy for 60 recruits a year, as well as advanced training for current officers. The facility has modern features and utilizes the latest technology, including a virtual reality simulation system that will place recruits in real-world policing situations, plus two simulation houses with movable walls for building searches and tactical training.
“This center is a good example of why our state needs to wisely spend money on law-enforcement officer recruitment and retention – to take full advantage of this specialized training,” added Holy. This session he has introduced Senate Bill 5060, which would have the state Criminal Justice Training Commission develop and implement a grant program to help local and tribal governments hire law-enforcement officers. A $100 million appropriation from the state general fund would support the grant program.
“Crime continues to be a problem in Washington,” said Holy, a retired Spokane police detective who serves the 6th Legislative District. “We rank among the worst states in several categories, including murders, auto theft and retail theft. A key reason is that we also rank 51st nationally for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita. By recruiting and training more officers in facilities like the new one in Arlington, we can help increase the number of officers in more communities, helping to make them safer.”