WashingtonSets standards for law enforcement leaders and agency volunteers
Sheriffs, police chiefs, and marshals must meet listed qualifications, while agencies must limit volunteers’ police powers and adopt supervision rules.
What it does
People seeking sheriff, police chief, or marshal positions must meet age, education, experience, criminal-history, certification, and background-check requirements, with limited exceptions for current officeholders.
Agencies may use volunteers and youth cadets for support and outreach, but they may not give them most police powers unless they complete peace-officer training and keep certification.
Agencies must conduct and document detailed background investigations before covered law enforcement hiring or appointments; failing certification or eligibility rules can create an office vacancy.
Several statutes about police matrons and one sheriff complaint duty are repealed.
Argument forClear limits on volunteer powers and required supervision could reduce confusion about who may use police authority and help protect the public.
Argument againstMore qualifications, investigations, and certification rules could make it harder or slower for some communities to fill law enforcement leadership positions.
More detail
People seeking to become sheriffs, police chiefs, or marshals must meet listed eligibility standards. The standards cover elected and appointed sheriffs, police chiefs, and marshals in Washington. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 25 years old, and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants generally must have no listed felony or gross-misdemeanor conviction, must meet certification standards, and must complete the required law enforcement experience. Applicants must provide a sworn statement and pass the required background check. The requirements generally take effect April 30, 2026. Current officeholders are exempt from the age and five-year experience requirements unless they seek a different sheriff, chief, or marshal position.
Law enforcement agencies may use volunteers and youth cadets only in limited roles and must set their rules in agency policies. The rules apply to city, town, code-city, and county sheriff agencies that use volunteers or youth cadets, as well as specially commissioned officers. Unless trained and certified as peace officers, volunteers and youth cadets may not enforce criminal or immigration laws, pursue people, detain or arrest, use force, use most weapons or surveillance tools, or share law enforcement database information outside the agency. Qualified retired law enforcement officers may carry firearms as volunteers. Volunteers may help with administrative support, traffic management, search and rescue, animal care, education, and similar community-service roles. Agencies must provide supervision, weapons training when needed, and clear identification that distinguishes these personnel from peace officers. These rules take effect January 1, 2027, and cities, towns, code cities, and counties must adopt or update conflicting policies and ordinances by then.
Employing agencies and appointing authorities must complete and document background investigations before hiring or appointing covered law enforcement personnel. The requirements cover sheriff, police chief, marshal, peace officer, reserve officer, corrections officer, and certain limited-authority officer applicants and transfers. Investigations must review criminal, disciplinary, certification, employment, social-media, psychological, and other records required by commission rules. Agencies may make only conditional offers until the investigation is complete and must attest that they followed the requirements. Investigation files are generally confidential, while completion and pass-or-fail results are public. A sheriff, police chief, or marshal can lose the office or appointment if certification is not maintained or eligibility requirements are not met. The general provisions take effect April 30, 2026. A background investigation generally must have been completed within the prior six months.
The act repeals the state statutes governing police matrons and a sheriff duty to make a complaint. The repeals cover RCW 35.66.010 through 35.66.050 and RCW 36.28.011. The repeals take effect April 30, 2026.
Where do you stand?
Choose your position
Tell your reps
Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.
Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 1Effective date 4/30/2026*.Latest
- Apr 1Chapter 258, 2026 Laws.Major
- Apr 1Governor Bob Ferguson signed.Became Law
- Mar 12Delivered to Governor.To Governor
- Mar 11Speaker signed.Major
- Mar 10President signed.Passed House
- Mar 9Passed final passage; yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Final Passage as Amended by the House (#14). Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 9Senate concurred in House amendments.
- Mar 5Third reading, passed; yeas, 54; nays, 42; absent, 0; excused, 2.Minor
- Vote recorded 2368 Burnett Pg 17 Ln 33 (#31). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2375 Burnett Pg 26 Ln 15 (#40). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2352 Keaton Pg 13 Ln 2 (#20). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2123 Goodman Striker (#46). Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded 2349 Dufault Pg 17 Ln 33 (#29). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2376 Dufault Pg 26 Ln 15 (#41). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2371 Burnett Pg 7 Ln 22 (#17). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2354 Marshall Pg 13 Ln 3 (#21). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2369 Corry Pg 7 Ln 19 (#16). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2364 Dye Pg 18 Ln 3 (#33). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2345 Penner Pg 26 Ln 31 (#45). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2373 Klicker Pg 4 Ln 27 (#14). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2357 Mendoza Pg 16 Ln 7 (#25). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2359 Griffey Pg 13 Ln 28 (#24). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2374 Walsh Pg 7 Ln 16 (#15). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2361 Stuebe Pg 18 Ln 2 (#32). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2353 Abell Pg 17 Ln 33 (#30). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2378 Burnett Pg 23 Ln 9 (#38). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded 2389 Goodman Pg 19 Ln 21 (#36). Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 5Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.Minor
- Mar 5Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- Mar 5Committee amendment not adopted.Minor
- Mar 2Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.Minor
- Feb 25Referred to Rules 2 Review.Minor
- Feb 24Minority; do not pass.Minor
- Feb 24CS - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).Minor
- Feb 24Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community Safety at 4:00 PM.
- Feb 23Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 1:30 PM.
- Feb 14First reading, referred to Community Safety.Minor
- Feb 12Third reading, passed; yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.Minor
- Feb 12Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.Minor
- Feb 122nd substitute bill substituted (WM 26).Major
- Feb 10Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.Minor
- Feb 9Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- Feb 9Minority; do not pass.Minor
- Feb 9WM - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass.Major
- Feb 9Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:30 AM.
- Feb 5Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
- Jan 23Referred to Ways & Means.Minor
- Jan 22Minority; do not pass.Minor
- Jan 22And refer to Ways & Means.Minor
- Jan 22LAW - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.Major
- Jan 22Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
- Jan 15Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
- Jan 12First reading, referred to Law & Justice.Minor
- Jan 5Prefiled for introduction.Introduced
Public SafetyCriminal JusticeGovernment & Ethics