Details

The team will be made up of certified law enforcement investigators and at least two non-law enforcement community representatives. Its operations will be completely independent from the Sheriff’s Office’s administrative investigation of incidents involving police use of deadly force.

This recruitment is being done to meet the requirements of Washington’s Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act, with the goal of increasing both accountability and trust between law enforcement and the community. The non-law enforcement community representatives will be unpaid volunteers.

King County Local Services is helping the Sheriff’s Office identify volunteer candidates. Successful candidates will be appointed to a roster. When an incident requires independent investigation, two volunteers will be chosen from the roster to serve on the Independent Investigation Team for that incident. Volunteers will remain on the roster for four years.

The hours for this service will vary depending on the incident characteristics and the time and locations of briefings, meetings, and any identified training. Community representatives may be called out at various and unpredictable hours, including weekends and holidays.

Rules for Independent Investigation Teams are still being developed and may not be finalized until later this year. Applicants should be aware that this process could result in changes to the requirements for community representatives.