In 2021 the Legislature created the Law Enforcement Community Engagement Grant Project (Project) within the Department of Commerce (Commerce). The purpose of the Project is to foster community engagement through neighborhood organizing, law enforcement–community partnerships, youth mobilization, and business engagement. The Project includes 12 to 15 grant awards in counties that have demonstrated their commitment to programs that promote community engagement in public safety, including Spokane, Pierce, King, Okanogan, Yakima, Cowlitz, Clark, Chelan-Douglas, Walla Walla, Benton-Franklin, Grant, and Snohomish counties.
To be eligible for a grant through the Project, an applicant must: (1) be a public agency or nongovernmental organization; (2) have demonstrated experience with community engagement initiatives that impact public safety; (3) have community engagement; (4) have established or be willing to establish a coordinated effort with committed partners, which must include law enforcement and organizations committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion of community members; and (5) have established priorities, policies, and measurable goals in compliance with the requirements of the Project.
Grant recipients through the Project must conduct a variety of activities, including but not limited to:
Commerce, in consultation with the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, developed reporting guidelines for grant recipients to measure whether the Project had an impact on crime rates and community engagement with, and perceptions of, law enforcement. A preliminary report was due to the Legislature by January 1, 2022, and a final report was due to the Legislature by December 1, 2023.
The Project expires on January 1, 2024.
The expiration date for the Project is extended from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2029. The Project is expanded from 12 to 15 grant awards in specified counties, to programs delivering services in a range of rural and urban counties across Washington. Certain criteria for participants are changed to be disjunctive—"or," rather than "and." Commerce's reporting requirements are changed to require a report to the Legislature by December 1 of every odd-numbered year, with reporting to include details on the implementation and outcomes of the Project.
(In support) Law enforcement appreciates opportunities to have positive interactions between officers and members of the community. The grant project this bill would continue is a great example of a way to encourage community policing. The Project has gotten a great deal of national attention for its successful community-centered approach to strengthening relationships between law enforcement and communities, especially economically disadvantaged communities. Commerce has done a great job implementing the Project. The Legislature should help maintain this important program.
The Project demonstrates that Washington is forward-thinking and innovative in addressing community policing and building community trust. Many police reform efforts over the past several years have focused on improving trust, and the Project is doing the work by supporting many successful pilot programs that have strengthened relationships between communities and law enforcement, especially communities that are more likely to have contact with law enforcement or the criminal justice system. The Project allows cities, counties, and communities to work together and talk about solutions.
While extending the expiration date is supported, it would be better to remove the expiration date entirely. An amendment to return to the previous language around grant activities, which was not disjunctive, is also supported, as it would maintain the integrity of the program by keeping higher standards for grantees.
(Opposed) None.