(1) A peace officer, tribal police officer, or corrections officer whose certification, commission, or licensing has been revoked or suspended, or is under review by this state or any other state or territory is not eligible to receive certification through an equivalency academy, regardless of the officer's prior years of service.

(2) A diploma of equivalent basic law enforcement academy or corrections officers academy is issued to recruits who successfully complete the equivalency process as required by the commission. For this purpose, the term "process" includes all documentation and prerequisites set forth in subsection (9) of this section and successful completion of all knowledge and skills requirements within the equivalency academy.

(3) Participation in the equivalency process is limited to:

(a) Certified officers whose certification, commission, or licensing has lapsed because of a break in service in Washington or any other state or territory for more than 24 months but less than 60 months;

(b) Fully commissioned officers of a general authority, limited authority, or certified tribal law enforcement agency in Washington state who otherwise are eligible to attend the basic law enforcement academy;

(c) Fully commissioned officers who have been certified by completing a basic training program in Washington or another state;

(d) Limited authority officers who have been certified by completing a basic training program in Washington or another state;

(e) Corrections officers as defined in RCW 43.101.010(6) who otherwise are eligible to attend the corrections officers academy;

(f) Corrections officers who have successfully completed an approved corrections officers academy in Washington or another state; or

(g) Persons who have not attained commissioned officer status but have successfully completed a basic law enforcement academy recognized as fully equivalent to Washington's basic law enforcement academy by the commission and within 12 months of the date of completion has received a conditional offer of employment as a fully commissioned, or certified limited authority, officer in Washington state.

(4) For the purposes of this section, the term "basic training program" does not include any military or reserve training or any federal training program not otherwise approved by the commission.

(5) Recruits who must participate in the equivalency academy to become a certified officer must attend an academy within six months of hire as a condition of employment.

(6) It is the responsibility of a recruit's agency to ensure that all necessary backgrounding forms and documentation are completed and submitted to the commission in a timely manner and all requirements within this section are met.

(7) The decision to request an officer's participation in the equivalency process is at the discretion of the sheriff or chief of the officer's employing agency who must advise the commission of that decision. The commission has final approval of the officer's acceptance into the equivalency academy.

(8) The commission shall have authority to approve a recruit for participation in the equivalency process.

(9) The recruit's employing agency must submit to the commission the following documentation as a condition of participating in the equivalency process:

(a) A statement of the recruit's health and physical condition including a physician signature;

(b) A liability release agreement by the recruit;

(d) Documentation of completion of the previous training program;

(e) Written syllabus detailing specific areas of training and hours of training;

(f) Documentation of current certification status; and

(g) For peace and tribal officers:

(i) A record of the recruit's firearms qualification; and

(ii) Verification of comparable emergency vehicle operations (EVO) training.

If this has not been completed previously, the recruit must complete the commission's current basic law enforcement EVO training, either by an instructor certified by the commission or through the Washington state patrol; all costs associated with this training will be the responsibility of the law enforcement agency.

(10) Upon completion of the equivalency process and review and evaluation of the recruit's performance, the commission shall issue a diploma and a certificate of certification.

(11) If the recruit has not met the qualifications to satisfactorily complete an equivalency academy, the commission shall:

(a) Issue a diploma and certificate of certification upon satisfactory completion of any required additional training; or

(b) Require the recruit to attend the basic law enforcement academy or the corrections officers academy.

PDFWAC 139-05-210

Process for equivalency.