Two bills introduced in the House address the current shortfall of available police academy classes.
HB 1253, sponsored by Rep. Shelley Kloba (D–Kirkland), reduces the allowed waiting period to enter the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) from six months to two months. In effect, this would compel the state to fund additional classes to clear out the current backlog of officers waiting to enter the academy.
HB 2560, sponsored by Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber (R–Republic), establishes a statutory minimum number of required BLEA classes. Beginning July 1, 2021, the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) would receive funding to provide at least 15 BLEA classes per fiscal year. Starting July 1, 2024, the CJTC would receive adequate funding to provide at least 18 BLEA classes per fiscal year. The CJTC would have the ability to request funding for additional classes to meet the hiring needs of state law enforcement agencies.
While these two bills provide potential future relief from the current training crunch, the CJTC needs two additional classes to be funded in this year’s supplemental budget. The needed 21 BLEA classes would reduce wait times from the projected five-month wait period.
AWC supports the state funding additional BLEA courses to ensure that local law enforcement agencies are properly staffed.
If your agency has concerns regarding wait times for new hires to enter the academy, please contact Sharon or Jacob.