Washington Revised Code Title 43. State Government--Executive § 43.101.428. Domestic violence investigation training

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the commission must provide ongoing specialized, intensive, and integrative training for persons responsible for investigating domestic violence cases involving intimate partners. The training must be based on a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach to responding to domestic violence. Among other subjects, the training must include content on the neurobiology of trauma and trauma-informed interviewing, counseling, and investigative techniques.

(2) The training must: Be based on research-based practices and standards; offer participants an opportunity to practice interview skills and receive feedback from instructors; minimize the trauma of all persons who are interviewed during investigations; provide methods of reducing the number of investigative interviews necessary whenever possible; assure, to the extent possible, that investigative interviews are thorough, objective, and complete; recognize needs of special populations; recognize the nature and consequences of domestic violence victimization; require investigative interviews to be conducted in a manner most likely to permit the interviewed persons the maximum emotional comfort under the circumstances; address record retention and retrieval; address documentation of investigative interviews; and educate investigators on the best practices for notifying victims of significant events in the investigative process.

(3) In developing the training, the commission must seek advice from the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, organizations representing victims of domestic violence, survivors of domestic violence, and experts on domestic violence and the neurobiology of trauma. The commission must consult with the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys in an effort to design training containing consistent elements for all professionals engaged in interviewing and interacting with domestic violence victims in the criminal legal system.

(4) The commission must develop the training and begin offering it by January 1, 2025. Officers assigned to regularly investigate domestic violence must complete the training within one year of being assigned or by July 1, 2027, whichever is later.