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Democrats say Ferguson police-hiring proposal provides money but raises sustainability and qualification questions
Summary
Reporters pressed Democratic leaders about a proposal that would provide $400 million for police hiring; leaders welcomed funding but said cities and counties worry about what happens after three years and stressed training, workforce development and qualification requirements for recipients.
At a legislative press conference, reporters pressed Democratic leaders about a plan included in a bill that would allocate $400,000,000 for police hiring. Leaders said the proposal was heard in the Law and Justice Committee and acknowledged local concerns about funding sustainability and program conditions.
Sophia Schwartzwater of the Seattle Times asked whether the proposal "is a good first step" or merely "a Band Aid on a really big problem." In response, an unnamed caucus speaker said the bill addresses a clear need to hire officers but raised questions about who will pay after the three-year funding period and whether local jurisdictions can sustain positions once state support ends.
Caucus members said state funding should come with qualifications. "We wanna make sure that the agencies who receive these dollars are committed in enforcing Keep Washington Working. We wanna make sure that they have completed all the training requirements that the state mandates for them, which includes trauma informed care, making sure they have use of force policies," the speaker said.
Leaders also highlighted bipartisan workforce steps aimed at increasing recruit throughput. House Speaker Laurie Jenkins said, "This biennium, we will train 540 more law enforcement officers through the opening of those regional training facilities than we trained the last biennium," and added that training throughput has improved from about eight months to roughly 30 days or less for new officers at some academies.
Speakers stressed that hiring must be paired with broader response models — including rollout of the 988 crisis line, co-responder teams of social workers and first-responder coordination — and said conversations about funding and program design will continue in committee.
No final funding decision was taken at the press conference; leaders said committees will continue to consider the bill and associated budget tradeoffs.
