On his first day, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson angered many Democratic lawmakers by demanding the Legislature put $100 million in the next state budget to help local police departments hire police officers.
“That idea was a cornerstone of my campaign for Governor. Any budget I sign must include this funding,” he said in his Jan. 15 inaugural address.
On Monday, May 19 there were clear signs of a rapprochement as Ferguson signed House Bill 2015 that embeds a $100 million grant program in a broad policy bill designed to let local and tribal governments decide how best to use those dollars – even if that means not hiring a single new cop.
“It’s a wonderful bill,” Ferguson said, celebrating the political win flanked by Democratic legislators, uniformed officers, and local government leaders. He insisted it will improve public safety and result in more officers on streets across Washington.
“It’s going to be a big step forward. I have no doubt about that,” he said. “Jurisdictions will make their choices, but there’s going to be significant investments in new law enforcement officers. I don’t think there’s any other way to interpret what we did here today.”
The measure signed Monday aims to strike a balance by allowing for spending on more than just police hiring, which many Democrats view skeptically as the best path to improve public safety.
It allows use of grants to hire and retain not only officers but also peer counselors and behavioral health personnel “working in co-response to increase community policing and public safety.” Crisis intervention training and other areas, like emergency management planning and community assistance programs, are among the additional spending options.
“This is a good law. Public safety is about the community. This bill is from the community, for the community,” said Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, the bill’s prime sponsor. “I want police in communities. I want good and fair policing.”
Bumpy road
Democrats hold near super majorities in the House and Senate. Many of them winced when Ferguson drew a line in the legislative sand in his first speech and winced again when he endorsed the approach in a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney.
It remained a sore point all session long as the legislation evolved through many iterations.
On April 15, the Members of Color Caucus in the Senate restated their opposition in a letter to Ferguson.
“While we understand your administration intends to move forward with this law enforcement funding request, we ask that you also commit — equally and unequivocally — to meeting the long-neglected needs that disproportionately affect communities of color,” reads the letter signed by a dozen Democratic senators.
The message echoed what the Legislative Black Caucus told Ferguson in a January meeting.
They said if there was going to be $100 million to beef up the ranks of law enforcement, there should be at least as much to shore up social services and other supportive programs in communities.
“It can’t be all cops all the time,” said Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, following the meeting. “We want to invest in public safety. We want to invest in strong and strategic public safety that meets all communities’ needs.”
Ultimately the bill passed by margins of 55-42 in the House and 30-19 in the Senate. Only five Republican lawmakers, including Holy, supported the bill.
Reeves, who did vote for it, stood alongside Ferguson as he signed the bill Monday.
“I don’t think every community is going to hire a cop,” she said. “The whole point of this legislation was, how do we give local communities local control to determine what best suits their public safety needs.”
How it works
The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission will develop and administer the grant program. As written, the state dollars must be allotted by June 30, 2028.
Cities and counties can access the grant money if they’ve already imposed either of two existing public safety sales taxes.
In addition, the bill offers local governments the ability to adopt a new 0.1% sales tax without voter approval to pay for criminal justice expenses.
The local sales tax revenue could go toward costs such as public defenders, domestic violence services, and programs to help connect formerly incarcerated people with jobs.
Lawmakers also decided governments can’t impose the new tax if voters have rejected a similar tax proposal in the past two years.
The new law sets other criteria for qualifying for grant dollars.
For example, 25% of officers would have to complete a 40-hour crisis intervention training. The bill originally set this benchmark at 80%.
Other hurdles departments must clear to access the money include implementing model policies on use-of-force and other issues, completing trauma-informed training for all officers and complying with a law that restricts police from helping with federal immigration enforcement.
Ferguson made the grant program a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign because, he said, Washington is ranked last in the nation in police staffing per capita.
When asked Monday if this law is enough to move the needle, he said, “I don’t know the answer. It’s going to help.”
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and Twitter.
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