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CJTC lays out backlog, staffing needs and new prioritization for misconduct cases
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Summary
CJTC reported 1,684 open certification cases and detailed a revised prioritization policy that ranks currently-employed officers and mandatory decertification categories first; staff requested additional investigators and promised a six-month check-in on policy outcomes.
CJTC certification staff told commissioners the agency is managing more than 1,600 open cases and is revising intake and prioritization procedures to focus resources on currently employed officers with the most serious alleged misconduct.
The certification manager reported 1,684 open cases as of October and said about 1,156 were in intake review; CJTC currently has nine investigators and said intake-review staffing is being expanded from one to three positions. "We have some cases that are now getting closed because the officer has expired, as in we are not able to get to and complete an investigation before their certification actually expires," the manager said.
Staff outlined a new intake-driven prioritization chart that maps CaseWare allegation categories to RCW decertification sections and assigns priority numbers; mandatory-decertification categories (for example, certain felony and dishonesty allegations) receive the highest priority for officers who are still employed. The commission adopted the new prioritization policy and asked staff to return in six months with a data report on how the priority buckets are being resolved.
CJTC identified the principal drivers of the backlog: a policy shift narrowing the agency notice requirement to sustained findings (instead of initial allegations), more thorough administrative-closure review that takes additional staff time, and insufficient investigator capacity. Staff said closing the backlog will require additional resources or changes in how older files are handled.
Why it matters: The backlog affects complainants, agencies and officers by lengthening the time to final resolution; CJTC said prolonged case ages can result in expired certifications that limit enforcement options.
What comes next: Commissioners requested a breakdown of cases by assigned priority and asked staff to include an update in the June meeting packet.
