Bill would expand CJTC gender‑based violence training to Title IX investigators, clarify patrol training requirements

Senate Bill 5356 would expand and clarify training requirements administered by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC). The bill would broaden an annual, intensive integrated training on investigating and prosecuting sexual assault and gender‑based violence to include personnel responsible for regularly investigating prohibited conduct under Title IX at higher‑education institutions. It would also clarify that patrol officers are required to complete victim‑centered, trauma‑informed training once every three years.

Sen. Tina Orwall, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure restores and clarifies training language inadvertently omitted during recent statutory changes and adds Title IX investigators to reach campus investigators who work with large student populations. “We want to put that back in as a requirement,” she said, referring to the patrol‑training component.

Andrea Piper Wintland, sexual assault program manager at the CJTC, told the committee the agency can make curricular modifications to accommodate Title IX investigators but recommended a standalone training for campus officials to allow the CJTC to tailor scenarios and materials to campus settings while preserving the criminal‑investigative focus for law enforcement. CJTC staff said the specialized investigator training remains fee‑supported and that the agency already maintains advanced and mandatory training tracks for officers who investigate sexual assault and gender‑based violence.

Supporters at the hearing stressed the high incidence of campus sexual assault and the need for investigators to have consistent trauma‑informed skills. No formal vote was taken at the Feb. 3 hearing; committee members and CJTC staff signaled openness to working on curricular implementation and scheduling.