WA audit: Just 16% of veteran officers have finished required police training

Washington’s police accountability law — the first of its kind in the nation — requires law enforcement officers to complete mental-health and violence de-escalation training. According to a new state audit, relatively few have done so.

On Tuesday the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) released its latest performance audit, which notes that the training is mandated by Initiative 940, which went on to become the 2019 Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act. Such continuing training is delivered and developed by the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC).

All officers must do 40 hours of continuing training under state law, although the completion deadline hinges on their basic-academy graduation date and when they received initial certification, according to the SAO.

By 2028, veteran officers have to finish the training curriculum, yet just 16% of 7,410 such officers have logged all 40 hours as of last May, the audit found. Forty-two percent have completed at least 20 hours while another 42% have done less than half of the training.

The audit also found that of new officers, only 14% had done 40 hours by their deadlines.

The SAO warns that at this rate of finishing the patrol-tactics training, in 2028, roughly half of all Washington officers will be noncompliant.

State Auditor Pat McCarthy explained that the aim of the law is to make interactions between the community and police officers better.

“By addressing the issues raised by our findings, Washington can continue to build better relationships between law enforcement agencies and the diverse communities they serve,” she said in an April 14 news release.

McClatchy has reached out to the Criminal Justice Training Commission for comment.

CJTC’s curriculum features cultural and community awareness courses, including related to implicit bias. Those are mostly done online, per the SAO’s release. In addition, the curriculum includes in-person patrol-tactics training, such as “alternatives to the use of physical or deadly force.”

Certain barriers to ensuring training completion were identified in the audit. The SAO says that the commission doesn’t have many ways to encourage participation, given that it lacks enforcement authority.

The SAO notes that the commission doesn’t review or mandate compliance with the training-time requirements, “unlike its other programs.” It does have data to ascertain officer compliance but doesn’t provide such information in its reports. As such, certain barriers have cropped up concerning agencies’ ability to check officer compliance using CJTC’s IT system, according to the SAO.

“Public accountability on officers’ progress with the state law is key to meeting legal intent,” the audit says.

In addition, the commission’s public reports don’t paint a full picture of training progress and contain omissions or inaccuracies, hurting accountability, according to the auditor’s office.

Police agencies have reported that certain training is hard to schedule, while some officers don’t believe that the courses are relevant, the news release states. Agencies have indicated that they have difficulty coming up with the resources to meet training demands concerning commitment of officer hours and direct cost.

Recommendations in the audit include boosting transparency via improved officer-compliance data reporting. The SAO also wants the Legislature to hold a work group focusing on compliance, financial backing for police agencies, officer feedback and clarifying consequences for non-compliance.

In a written response to the auditor’s office, which CJTC also provided to McClatchy, the commission said it generally agrees with the report’s recommendations and findings, some of which reflect work that was already underway. CJTC also noted that certain recommendations would likely call for additional staff and funding to implement.

The Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs (WACOPS) issued a statement Wednesday saying that the audit confirms that there are significant hurdles to compliance. WACOPS contends that this stems from the state’s failure to amply fund and staff law enforcement.

WACOPS defended its officers as eager to grow and learn in their roles.

“The training completion figures in the State Auditor’s report are a direct reflection of our profession being trapped in a system that lacks the basic resources to satisfy these requirements while maintaining public safety,” WACOPS said in the statement.

The group added that it looks forward to working on a training solution collaboratively with the Legislature and state auditor “so long as officer feedback on existing barriers is central to that process.”

Tonya Isabell with the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA) worked on getting I-940 passed. For her, it was personal. The Pierce County advocate’s cousin, Charleena Lyles, was killed by Seattle police in 2017.

Isabell said she was upset after seeing the state audit’s findings.

“We want loved ones to make it home,” she said in a Wednesday call. “If you specifically train, then … you won’t have to be under investigation for accountability because you meet all the law requirements.”

Debbie Novak’s son, David, was fatally shot by Spokane police in 2019. She now advocates alongside Isabell with the WCPA as its eastern region lead.

Novak told McClatchy she understands that law enforcement deals with logistical and budget constraints. Still, she said, the training is mandatory under state law, and officers have had years since the passage of I-940 to complete it.

She referenced the audit’s mention that some officers questioned the relevance of courses.

“It’s just very hurtful for them to be so nonchalant that they don’t need this training,” Novak said. “Well, I’m here to tell you that they do.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs and Tonya Isabell and Debbie Novak of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability.

This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 1:17 PM with the headline "WA audit: Just 16% of veteran officers have finished required police training."

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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