Interlocal Cooperation in Law Enforcement

Overview

A city or town may provide law enforcement protection in a number of different ways. The traditional and most common way is to establish a municipal police department under the direction of a locally appointed police chief or marshal.

Counties provide law enforcement through the sheriff's office.

Many local governments enter into contractual arrangements with other jurisdictions to provide law enforcement services. Cities and towns typically contract with counties for police services or with neighboring cities or towns for services. The level of service and cost must be negotiated among jurisdictions. In contracting for police protection, a city or town may opt to appoint a city employee or officer to serve as a chief law enforcement officer, or, as is most typically done, designate an officer from the contracted jurisdiction to serve in that capacity.

Many local governments also enter into mutual aid agreements with other cities, the county, or the state patrol to provide back-up assistance in emergency situations.

This page provides examples of these and other types of agreements entered into by jurisdictions across the state.

Interlocal Cooperation Statutes

• Ch. 10.93 RCW – Washington Mutual Aid Peace Officers Act
• RCW 10.93.130 – Authorizing interagency contracting for law enforcement and mutual assistance.
• Ch. 39.34 RCW – Interlocal Cooperation Act

Examples of Law Enforcement Service Contracts

Below are selected examples of interlocal agreements where one jurisdiction provides general law enforcement services for another.

Counties Providing Law Enforcement Services

• Clallam County/Forks Law Enforcement Supplemental Staffing Agreement (2016) – County provides one or more deputies to supplement city police department staff as needed.
• King County Police Partnerships – Website provides an overview of law enforcement contractual services, including potential benefits and FAQs for prospective partners.
• Skagit County/Concrete Law Enforcement Services Interlocal Agreement (2017) – County provides law enforcement to town.
• Snohomish County/Stanwood Interlocal Agreement for Law Enforcement Services (2017) – County provides law enforcement to city; includes building credit for police facility owned by city and occupied by sheriff's office.
• Spokane County/Spokane Valley Law Enforcement Services Agreement (2017) – County provides law enforcement to city; exhibits include summary of services, staffing, workload indicators, and performance measures.

Cities Providing Law Enforcement Services

• Bainbridge Island/Kitsap Transit Extra Duty Police Services Interlocal Agreement (2017) – City provides law enforcement for transit agency. Assigned officers are on extra duty assignment during their off-duty hours and have primary obligations to the city.
• Mercer Island/Yarrow Point Marine Patrol Services Interlocal Agreement (2022) – Agreement outlines the roles and expectations from both parties. 
• North Bend/Snoqualmie Law Enforcement Services Interlocal Agreement (2019) – Snoqualmie provides police services to North Bend.
• Poulsbo/Bremerton Marine Patrol Services Agreement (2013) – Poulsbo provides marine police patrols within Bremerton waters.
• Spokane/Spokane Transit Authority Police Services Agreement (2017) – One police officer patrols transit authority plaza and surrounding area, with an emphasis on weekday afternoons.

Examples of Mutual Aid Agreements

• Chelan County/Kittitas County Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement (2015) – Agreement for Chelan County to respond to calls from the Colockum Pass Area within Kittitas County, which would otherwise have a long response time due to geographical barriers.
• Clark/Skamania Counties Regional Major Crimes Team Agreement (2014) – Agreement between counties, cities, and WSU-Vancouver to provide for cooperative and coordinated investigations of major crimes, law enforcement-involved fatalities/injuries, or other serious incidents upon request of the primary jurisdiction.
• King County Mutual Aid Law Enforcement Agreement (2013) – Agreement between the Washington State Patrol, the King County Sheriff, and the cities of Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bothell, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Redmond and Snoqualmie to provide law enforcement and mobilization in the Event of a law enforcement-involved fatal or serious injury incident.
• Pend Oreille County/ Newport Mutual Aid Law Enforcement Agreement (2018) – Agreement between Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office and the City of Newport Police Department.
• Pullman/Lewiston, ID Interstate Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement (2016) – Example of a mutual aid interlocal agreement across state lines.
• Sequim/Port Angeles Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement (2016) – Defines the duties of the Sequim Police Department and the Port Angeles Police Department, as well as their shared responsibilities, in times of crisis.
• Southwest Regional SWAT/Negotiating Team/Tactical Emergency Medical Services Mutual Law Enforcement Assistance Agreement (2017) – Agreement between Battle Ground, Camas, Clark County, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Washougal and Washington State University.
• Washington State Department of Corrections/Longview Police Department Memorandum of Understanding (2017) – Establishes joint effort to support the Longview Street Crimes Unit (SCU) by incorporating DOC resources. 

Examples of Dispatch/Communications Agreements

Below are selected examples of interlocal agreements for emergency communications and dispatch services. For more information on emergency communications, see our page Emergency Communication Services and Facilities.

• Kitsap County/ Bainbridge Island/ Bremerton/ Port Orchard/ Poulsbo/ Suquamish Tribe Law Enforcement Software Interlocal Agreement (2022) – Agreement is intended to guide the creation of a shared records management system, with goals of lowering costs, sharing data, and defining roles. Also includes supplemental information like schedules and a cost of ownership analysis. 
• Redmond/Duvall Dispatch Services Interlocal Agreement (2015) – Redmond provides law enforcement dispatch services to Duvall; includes general operational procedures.
• WHITCOM/Moscow, ID Dispatch Services Agreement (2016) – Renewed interlocal/interstate agreement for WHITCOM to provide 911 and non-emergency dispatch services to Idaho city; also includes original 2004 contract.
• Yakima County/Wapato Law Enforcement Communications Agreement (2017) – Sheriff provides dispatch services to city during hours in which city has no radio personnel on duty.

Examples of Tribal Agreements

A number of cities and counties also have agreements with nearby Indian tribes for a variety of law enforcement services. Selected examples are below. For examples of tribal jail agreements, see our page Jail Services and Alternatives to Incarceration.

• Clark County/Cowlitz Tribe Law Enforcement and Prosecution Agreement (2017) – County provides law enforcement and prosecution for alleged crimes committed by non-Indians on tribal land; law enforcement powers also extend to all cities that are party to Clark County law enforcement mutual aid agreement.
• Kitsap County/Suquamish Tribe Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement (2017) – Authorizes qualified tribal police officers to act as general peace officers within Kitsap County beyond the boundaries of the Port Madison Reservation under RCW 10.93.070.
• Pend Oreille County/Kalispel Tribe Emergency Dispatch Communication Agreement (2017) – Interlocal agreement for county to provide 24-hour law enforcement, fire, and EMS dispatch services to the tribe.
• Snohomish County/Stillaguamish Tribe Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement (2015) – "Cross-deputization" agreement authorizing qualified tribal officers to act as general peace officers within Kitsap County under RCW 10.93.070, and allowing certain sheriff deputies to be granted tribal commissions.
• Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Tribal Officer General Authority Model Policy (2010) – Older document continues to provide relevant guidance on how to authorize tribal officers to act as general authority peace officers; includes sample interlocal agreement.

Examples of School Resource Officer Agreements

• Anacortes/Anacortes School District School Resource Officer Agreement (2015) – Outlines the city responsibilities, the district responsibilities, and the funding sources to pay for the position.
• Pend Oreille County/Newport School District School Resource Officer Agreement (2016) – Includes job description.
• Poulsbo/North Kitsap School District:
  • School Law Enforcement Security Agreement (2016) – Uniformed police officer to provide security at school events upon request and if available, with a minimum two weeks' notice.
  • School Resource Officer Interlocal Agreement (2015) – Includes interagency information sharing agreement.
• Snohomish County/Edmonds School District School Resource Officer Agreement (2015) – Includes job description and standard operating procedures.

Examples of Regional Task Forces

• Mason/Kitsap/Pierce Counties Regional Drug Task Force Agreement (2015) – Updated agreement for the Westsound area, including the three counties, several cities, the state patrol, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
• Snohomish County Amendment No. 1 to the Interlocal Agreement Establishing the Regional Drug & Gang Task Force (2017) – Includes several modifications of the original interlocal agreement from a year prior (also included), which involved many jurisdictions agreeing to establish a regional drug and gang task force. 

Examples of Jail Service Agreements

For examples of interlocal agreements related to jails and inmates, see our page Jail Services and Alternatives to Incarceration.

Examples of Court Service Agreements

For examples of interlocal agreements related to court services, including prosecution, public defense, and indigent defense, see our page City and County Court Services.

Examples of Records Management/Software Agreements

For detailed guidance on law enforcement records laws, see our Law Enforcement Records Tool Kit.

• Cheney/Eastern Washington University Law Enforcement Data Entry Agreement (2016) – University police department uses city's data entry/data housing services.
• Kitsap County/Bainbridge Island/Bremerton/Port Orchard/Poulsbo/Suquamish Tribe Law Enforcement Software Interlocal Agreement (2022) – Guides the creation of a shared records management system, with goals of lowering costs, sharing data, and defining roles. 
• Spokane County/Airway Heights Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management Agreement (2015) – Outlines a 15-year agreement that can be renewed if still desirable.

Examples of Other Law Enforcement Agreements

• Benton/Franklin Counties Law Enforcement Pursuit MOU (2015) – Establishing operational guidelines for multi-jurisdictional pursuits within the two counties and their cities.
• Clark County Vehicular Pursuit Interlocal Agreement (2017) – Setting uniform guidelines for vehicle pursuits that may cross jurisdictions.
• Everett/Pierce County Law Enforcement Agreement for U.S. Open (2015) – City provides additional law enforcement for major regional event (golf tournament).
• Snohomish County/Everett Embedded Social Worker Agreement (2015) – Pilot program to embed a county social worker with the city's police force to assist with police responses to people with mental health, substance abuse, behavioral, housing, or financial needs
• Whatcom County/Skagit County Rifle Range Agreement (2017) – Allowing Skagit County deputies to use Whatcom County rifle range for firearms training, qualification, and practice.