New Laws About Public Safety

November 22, 2021  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The 2021 Regular Legislative Session included several bills that impacted local law enforcement agencies, and this blog offers an overview of some of the more complex bills. 

Read more

Police, Mental Health Professionals Partner to Improve 911 Response

December 31, 2020  by  Leah LaCivita
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  Emergency Medical Services

This blog looks at the co-responder law enforcement model, which brings social service responders and mental health professionals into the 911 crisis response.

Read more

Ballot Measure Results from the 2020 General Election

November 12, 2020  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  Elections ,  Parks and Recreation Finance ,  Fire Protection ,  Law Enforcement ,  Transportation Finance ,  Forms of Government-County

This blog post recaps some of the local ballot measure results from the November 2020 general election and discusses why the record-breaking turnout may make ballot measure validation tougher next year.

Read more

Promising Practices for Washington Local Governments: October 2020

October 29, 2020  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Strategies and Programs ,  Law Enforcement

This post highlights promising practices in revitalizing downtown cores, reimagining the functions of law enforcement, and paperless approval processes.

Read more

Promising Practices: Police (and Beyond) Drone Programs

June 20, 2019  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Law Enforcement

This post highlights promising practices in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for law enforcement and other purposes. 

Read more

Spokane's Outreach Strategies at the Forefront of Community Policing Efforts

October 21, 2015  by  Josh Mahar
Category:  Law Enforcement

Spokane Police Department's 2015 Community Outreach Strategy shows some innovative community policing techniques.

Read more

Emerging Issue Update: Police Body Cameras

June 30, 2015  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Law Enforcement

A roundup of the latest news and information, including a few sample policies, we have been gathering on the emerging issue of body-worn cameras.

Read more

Emerging Issue: Police Body Cameras in Washington State

October 14, 2014  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Law Enforcement

The recent fatal shooting of the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has greatly accelerated an already growing interest in the use of police body-worn cameras across the country and in several Washington communities.

Read more

Police Staffing - How Much Is Enough?

June 8, 2012  by  Tracy Burrows
Category:  Law Enforcement

Recently, Anna Halloran, Manager of the Community Indicators Initiative at Eastern Washington University, asked me to comment on trends in police staffing in Spokane County.  From 2008 to 2010,...

Read more