Washington legislation · 2025-26 Regular Session
Washington SB5974: Local law enforcement
Status: Signed into law, April 1, 2026
Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons.
What the bill says
An act Relating to modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons; amending RCW 35.21.333, 35.21.334, 35.23.161, 35.27.240, 36.28.010, 36.28.025, 42.12.010, 43.101.095, 43.101.115, 10.93.170, 36.28.020, and 43.101.400; adding a new section to chapter 35.21 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 35A.21 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 36.01 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 36.28 RCW; creating a new section…
From the introduced text:
AN ACT Relating to modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons; amending RCW 35.21.333, 35.21.334, 35.23.161, 35.27.240, 36.28.010, 36.28.025, 42.12.010, 43.101.095, 43.101.115, 10.93.170, 36.28.020, and 43.101.400; adding a new section to chapter 35.21 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 35A.21 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 36.01 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 36.28 RCW; creating a new section; repealing RCW 35.66.010, 35.66.020, 35.66.030, 35.66.040, 35.66.050, and 36.28.011; providing effective dates; and declaring an emergency. NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that certain laws governing the eligibility requirements, duties, and responsibilities of sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals should be updated and revised to reflect best practices, and to ensure that local law enforcement leaders, whether sheriffs, police chiefs, or town marshals, whether appointed or elected, and whether partisan or nonpartisan, are subject to the same eligibility requirements and standards. For sheriffs, the legislature is authorized to prescribe eligibility requirements. However, other than the eligibility requirements for any elected official, the only requirement for sheriffs in existing law is completion of academy training within 12 months of being elected, and this requirement applies only to persons who have been elected to the office, and not to appointed sheriffs. The legislature may …