Decertification
What Is It?
In Washington state, all law enforcement officers must be licensed or “certified.” So, if an officer gets their certification revoked, they are “decertified” and can no longer serve as a police officer in the state. Officers who are fired for misconduct but not decertified can simply find a job with another department.
Why Care?
The current decertification process is not effective to hold officers accountable for their misconduct. Although about 100 officers are fired each year, and 40 of those are flagged for decertification by their supervisors, an average of only 13 officers per year actually lose their certification. One reason is that officers can only be decertified for a narrow set of circumstances--in fact, no officer has ever been decertified for excessive use of force. In addition, the process can drag out for several years, during which the officer can stay on the job.
Upcoming Events
Click below to find events that you care about.
Take Action
Track Bill Progress
Track the progress of the bills through the legislative process. You can sign up for email alerts for SB 5051 and HB 1082 by clicking the buttons below and then pressing the “Get Email Notifications” button.
Join the PALAG Community
Join the Police Accountability Legislative Action Group by contacting Deb at deb.carstens@gmail.com.
Contact Your Legislators
Contact your legislators to share your support for SB 5051 and HB 1082. You can do so by clicking on the buttons below, then pressing on the “Comment on this bill” button.
This is especially impactful if your legislators are members of the Senate Law and Justice and/or House Public Safety Committees. You can find your legislators here. The members of the Senate Law and Justice Committee members are here, and the members of the House Public Safety Committee are here.
Provide Public Testimony
Support these bills by providing testimony, written or live.
When SB 5051 or HB 1082 are being heard in committee, you may submit written testimony, or testify live by clicking on the “Sign In for Testimony” button below. After you are redirected, you will want to:
Click on the House or Senate button
Use the dropdown menus on the next page to select the committee and meeting date
Select the type of testimony you wish to submit and follow the instructions
Keep Learning.
Police Reform Bill Could Bring Washington to Forefront of Accountability Movement (Seattle Times)
How the State's Decertification Process Leaves Troubled Officers With Their Guns (Seattle Times)
Police Oversight is Legislature's Duty (Seattle Times Editorial)
Here are two state laws we must change (Anne Levinson, police accountability expert, in Publicola)
Study finds misconduct spreads among police officers like contagion (PBS)