Community Law Enforcement Partnership Program Report to the Legislature (Commerce, March 2024)
Summary
Community Law Enforcement Partnership Program report to the Legislature, March 2024, from the Washington State Department of Commerce, Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention/Community Safety Unit, prepared pursuant to RCW 43.330.545. The Legislature created the Community-Law Enforcement Partnership (CLEP) program in 2021 and appropriated $2.5 million for grants for State Fiscal Year 22/23. Grantees reported quarterly on the number of community members engaged, crimes reported to law enforcement and persons arrested, with data guidelines developed in consultation with the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Awards for the SFY 24/25 biennium went to community-based organizations and local and tribal governments.
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“Community Law Enforcement Partnership Program Report to the Legislature (Commerce, March 2024).”
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Community Law
Enforcement Partnership
Program
Project Implementation Details and Outcomes of Reported Data and
Information pursuant to RCW 43.330.545.
March 2024
OFFICE OF FIREARM SAFETY AND VIOLENCE Report to the Legislature
PREVENTION / COMMUNITY SAFETY UNIT
Director Mike Fong
v3.4
Acknowledgments
Washington State Department of Commerce
Cindy Guertin-Anderson, Assistant Director,
Community Services Division
Dave Pringle, Legislative and Policy Director
Kate Kelly, Executive Director, Office of Firearm
Safety and Violence Prevention/Community Safety
Unit
Washington State Department of Commerce
Kate Kelly, Executive Director
Kate.kelly@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-628-6846
OFFICE OF FIREARM SAFETY AND VIOLENCE
PREVENTION / COMMUNITY SAFETY UNIT
1011 Plum St. SE
P.O. Box 42525
Olympia, WA 98504-2525
www.commerce.wa.gov
For people with disabilities, this report is available
on request in other formats. To submit a request,
please call 360-725-4000 (TTY 360-586-0772)
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 2
2.0
Table of Contents
Executive summary .........................................................................................................................................4
Implementation of the project .........................................................................................................................7
Outcomes of the reported data and information ..............................................................................................8
Next Steps ....................................................................................................................................................15
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 3
Executive summary
Overview
A powerful alliance can emerge when individuals and neighborhoods partner with law enforcement. A
successful community-police partnership can lead to shared goals for improving safety and quality of life and
ensuring that public safety services are tailored to the local community's needs.
In 2021, the Washington Legislature created the Community-Law Enforcement Partnership (CLEP) program to
foster community engagement through neighborhood organizing, law enforcement and community
partnerships, youth mobilization, and business engagement as outlined in RCW 43.330.545. The Legislature
appropriated $2.5 million for the Washington Department of Commerce, Office of Firearm Safety and Violence
Prevention/Community Safety Unit (Commerce) to distribute through grants award for State Fiscal Year (SFY)
22/23 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2023).
Legislative mandate
RCW 43.330.545 (as amended in 2023)
Community engagement grants—Law enforcement. (Expires January 1, 2029.)
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a project is created in the department
to foster community engagement through neighborhood organizing, law enforcement-community partnerships, youth
mobilization, and business engagement. The department shall administer the project. The project must include
funding for programs delivering services in a range of rural and urban counties across Washington.
(2) The department shall adopt policies and procedures necessary to administer the project, including: (a) An
application process; (b) disbursement of the grant award to selected applicants; (c) tracking compliance and proper
use of funds; and (d) measuring outcomes.
(3) Eligible applicants must:
(a) Be a public agency or nongovernmental organization;
(b) Have demonstrated experience with community engagement initiatives that impact public safety;
(c) Include community engagement in their services;
(d) Have established or be willing to establish a coordinated effort with committed partners, which must include law
enforcement and organizations committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion of community members, including
organizations whose leadership specifically reflects the communities most impacted by racism; and
(e) Have established priorities, policies, and measurable goals in compliance with the requirements of the project as
provided in subsection (5) of this section.
(4) A law enforcement agency applying for a grant award shall not be considered an eligible applicant unless there are
no other eligible applicants from the community or county the law enforcement agency serves.
(5) The grant recipient shall:
(a) Lead and facilitate neighborhood organizing initiatives, including:
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 4
(i) Empowering community members with tools, skills, confidence, and connections to identify, eradicate, and prevent
illegal activity;
(ii) Making neighborhood improvements to deter future criminal activity; or
(iii) Educating community members regarding how to connect with city, county, and law enforcement resources;
(b) Build substantive law enforcement-community partnerships, including:
(i) Building trust between community members and law enforcement by facilitating purposeful antiracist practices
and the development of policies that lead to equal treatment under the law;
(ii) Establishing clear expectations for law enforcement to be competent to practice fair and equitable treatment
including facilitating dialogue between law enforcement and community members to increase understanding of the
impact of historical racist practices and current conflicts;
(iii) Community members regularly informing law enforcement, through presentations, workshops, or forums, on
community perceptions of law enforcement and public safety issues;
(iv) Educating community members on the role and function of law enforcement in the community;
(v) Clarifying expectations of law enforcement and of the role of the community in crime prevention;
(vi) Educating community members on the best practices for reporting emergency and non-emergency activities;
(vii) Recognizing community members for effective engagement and community leadership; and
(viii) Recognizing law enforcement officials for efforts to engage underrepresented communities, improve community
engagement and empowerment, and reform law enforcement practices;
(c) Mobilize youth to partner with neighborhood groups and law enforcement to prevent violence by:
(i) Helping them develop knowledge and skills to serve as leaders in their communities;
(ii) Focusing on prevention of violence and substance abuse; or
(iii) Empowering youth to bring their voice to community issues that impact healthy police-community relations;
(d) Engage businesses to help prevent crimes, such as vandalism and burglaries, through safety training and other
prevention initiatives;
(e) Provide training and technical assistance on how to implement community engagement, improving law
enforcement and community partnership, youth engagement, and business engagement;
(f) Identify and maintain consistent, experienced, and committed leadership for managing the grant, including an
administrator who acts as an available point of contact with the department; and
(g) Collect and report data and information required by the department.
(6) The department shall, in consultation with the Washington state institute for public policy, develop reporting
guidelines for the grant recipients to measure whether the project had an impact on crime rates and community
engagement with, and perceptions of, law enforcement. The department shall report to the appropriate legislative
policy committees by December 1st every odd-numbered year with details on the implementation of the project and
the outcomes of the reported data and information.
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 5
(7) This section expires January 1, 2029.
Highlights
Fourteen grants were awarded after two rounds of applications appropriating $2.5 million in grant funds to
support programs to encourage postive relationships between the community and law enforcement. Programs
focused on one of three areas: localized community activities such as National Night Out, providing law
enforcement data on the attitudes and beliefs about crime, and identifying trends and perceptions about law
enfocement based on surveys, evaluations, and ancedoal information.
Grantees provided quarterly reports detailing activities and outcomes. Outcome data varies based on the
location of the grant, community and law enforcement objectives and final outcomes.
Next steps
In 2023, the Legislature amended the the CLEP statute, extending the sunset date for the grant program until
January 1, 2029, appropriating $3.3 million for projects for SFY 24/25 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025) (SB 5561).
In May 2023, Commerce issued a Request for Proposals to solicit applications for the new cycle of the CLEP
program. Applications were received from public agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations.
After a competitive procurement process, 15 community-based organizations and local and tribal governments
throughout Washington were awarded CLEP grants for the SFY 24/25 biennium. More information about those
projects will be posted on the Commerce website when available.1
1 Program Descriptions - webpage.pdf | Powered by Box
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 6
Implementation of the project
Advisory group
To help inform the design of the CLEP grant program and the distribution of funds, Commerce convened an
advisory group of subject matter experts. The group included representatives from:
Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council
Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program
Safe Streets, Tacoma
Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WaCops)
Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs (WASPC)
Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP)
At two meetings in September 2021, the advisory group members considered and made recommendations in
response to the following questions:
Funding options: What is the best way to distribute the available funding?
Selection criteria: What factors should Commerce consider in evaluating the proposals?
Engagement: How can we ensure genuine grassroots involvement in this process?
Law enforcement grantees: If a law enforcement agency is eligible for a grant, how do we ensure that the
funds do not subsidize their gang unit or ongoing programs?
Reporting: What should we require grantees to report?
This discussion helped inform the policies and procedures adopted to administer the CLEP program, including
the grant application process, the disbursement of the grant awards to selected applicants, tracking
compliance and proper use of funds, and measuring outcomes in light of statutory language and the particular
projects being funded.
Selecting grant recipients
Commerce is careful to ensure that the competitive processes for our grant programs comply with state rules
and policies, are fair and open, and administer state funds in a fiscally responsible manner. Commerce must
establish and maintain a level playing field for potential grantees and follow existing processes and
parameters. The competitive process creates integrity and evenhandedness.
Subsection 3 of RCW 43.330.545 establishes grantee eligibility requirements for the CLEP program.
Subsection 4 establishes that a law enforcement agency may be considered an eligible applicant only if there
are no other qualified applicants from the community or county the law enforcement agency serves.
To distribute the appropriated SFY 22/23 funds, the first round of contracting for this program resulted in a
commitment of approximately $1.5 million to the eight top-scoring projects, which were located in:
Omak, Okanogan, Pateros and Tonasket
Cowlitz County and South Kelso
South King County
Snohomish County
Spokane County (two projects)
Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce County
Cities in the Yakima Valley region.
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 7
Commerce then implemented a second round of contracting to commit the remaining funds, resulting in a
total of 14 contracts under this grant program.
Figure 1 - In SFY22/23 Commerce awarded 14 grants across Washington to support
programs that will enhance community relations with law enforcement
Outcomes of the reported data and information
The statute creating the CLEP program directs Commerce to have a process to measure outcomes and to
require grantees to collect and report data according to guidelines developed by Commerce in consultation
with the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP).
The information requested is intended to provide a foundation for assessing whether the program and projects
affect crime rates, community engagement with law enforcement, and perceptions of law enforcement within
the public. See RCW 43.330.545(2)(d), (5)(g) and (6).
A senior research associate from WSIPP's Criminal Justice Research section participated in the CLEP program
advisory group discussions and separately consulted with Commerce staff as the CLEP grant program and
contracts were assembled.
The CLEP grantees' project designs collectively focused on one of the three program objectives and outcome
requirements listed below. Grantees developed individualized projects reflecting their community's needs. Law
enforcement aims to connect with community members, businesses, and social service agencies and meet
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 8
emerging areas of opportunity locally. In addition to reporting on outcomes and measures specific to each
grant, organizations receiving funding from the CLEP program reported quarterly on:
The number of community members directly engaged through conducted activities, including an
aggregated description of the race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics.
The number of crimes reported to law enforcement and the number of persons arrested (defined as a
physical arrest, citation, or served summons). To the extent available, this data will be reported in
subcategories broken down by types of offense (for example, property crimes or violent crimes) and
demographically (for example, by race or ethnicity).
Trends in perceptions of law enforcement based on surveys, evaluations, anecdotal information or other
measures.
Individual program outcomes2 CLEP Program SFY 22/23
BlueBridge Alliance3 ($199,300)
The project facilitated the intersection of neighborhood programs, businesses, and community partnerships
with law enforcement to support those in urgent need. Law enforcement officers used limited debit cards to
offer on-the-spot interim relief to individuals in need. Participating police departments included Wenatchee
Valley, Kent, Moses Lake, and Pullman. Supports included food assistance, clothing, temporary housing and
gas. The primary project goals were to provide immediate short-term assistance to those in critical need,
improve police-community relations, and positively impact police morale and organizational culture.
The data indicates that BlueBridge officers used program debit cards 253 times during the pilot time frame,
averaging 28 times per agency. Moses Lake and Wenatchee Valley had the highest usage rate.
A total of 3,056 people received aid under the BlueBridge program. In 30 cases, officers provided safe
lodging for victims of domestic violence. In five incidents, officers used the Bluebridge program to de-
escalate potentially violent situations with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. In 28 cases,
officers provided warm clothing to homeless individuals at risk of hypothermia.
All participating officers used the debit card at least once during the project. 37% used the card multiple
times.
The most common items purchased were food and supplies (49.8%), transportation (10.3%), lodging
(18.4%), gas assistance (18.2%), and auto repair, safety, animal care, and bus tickets (3.3%).
Individuals receiving services were identified as White/Caucasian (60.4%), White/Hispanic (17.3%), Black
(4.6%), and Unknown (13.2%).
Officers participating in the BlueBridge program identified 74 incidents (46 felonies and 28 misdemeanors)
prevented or averted by the aid, saving taxpayers and the criminal justice system an estimated $2.5 million.
Boys and Girls Club of Snohomish County ($114,307)4
This project facilitated the coordination of community action events and youth development camps in
collaboration with the Edmonds, Marysville, Arlington, Tulalip, Granite Falls, Sultan, Island County, and Oak
2 CLEP_FactSheet_final 1-4-23.pdf | Powered by Box
3 BlueBridge Alliance – Compassion. Caring. Community
4 Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County (bgcsc.org)
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 9
Harbor Police Departments. The project aimed to engage youth in activities and conversations about
community safety.
A total of 937 youths ages 5-17 participated in youth development camps.
Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (GSSAC)5 ($200,000)
GSSAC focused on neighborhood organizing, partnership building and sensitivity awareness across Spokane
County, supporting crime prevention workshops, graffiti removal and neighborhood cleanup initiatives. This
program improved community-police relations to enhance community safety through various activities that
engaged individuals and organizations, creating a dialogue and action steps.
Outcomes included:
Neighborhood organizing initiatives. Activities included a wide range of events in the Spokane area that
focused on community involvement, safety and cross-partnerships within the community.
Built substantive law enforcement community partnerships. GSSAC participated in many activities with law
enforcement, such as SCOPE National Night Out and other neighborhood watch groups, including public
outreach.
Partnered youth with neighborhood groups and law enforcement to prevent violence. GSSAC engaged with
the Odyssey Youth at the Pride in Perry event where more than 800 individuals attended celebrating the
LGBTQIA+ community. This event allowed for continued engagement with youth through a variety of
events in the community.
Engaged businesses to help prevent crime. In collaboration with the local Chamber of Commerce, 400+
individuals attended a resource fair discussing safety and crime prevention.
Provided training and technical assistance on implementing community engagement senior centers, a
Black neighborhood community center and other events to support Native American tribes and Latino
groups.
Northeast Washington Education Service District (NEWSED 101)6 ($197,000)
In partnership with the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition (SRDVC),7 NEWSED worked with
existing youth-serving and domestic violence programs to lead and facilitate neighborhood organizing
initiatives and equip community members with tools, skills, confidence and connections to access and
connect with city, county and local law enforcement resources in Spokane County. The program focused on
three goals:
Lead and facilitate neighborhood organizing initiatives by providing training and education to community
members and school and youth-serving agencies to give them tools to identify and prevent illegal activity.
• Provided program information to middle and high school students to build relationships with youths
who will likely not return to traditional education or need access to healthy adults throughout the school
year. Safe Communities Partnership (SCP) formalized a partnership with the East Sprague Business
Association to have program youth assist in identifying and removing gang-related graffiti.
• Staff held weekly Domestic Violence Education and Healthy Relationships classes for 36 residents at
the Isabella House, a residential treatment center and presented Domestic Violence Toolkit training to
90 individuals in the community.
5 Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (gssac.org)
6 About NEWESD - NorthEast Washington ESD 101
7 endtheviolencespokane.org
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 10
Build substantive law enforcement-community partnerships: SCP built trust between community members
and law enforcement by facilitating purposeful conversations to improve public safety, increase
transparency between community members and law enforcement, and educate on how best to report
emergency and non-emergency activities.
• SCP and SRDVC hosted three community listening sessions in gang-impacted areas of Spokane,
specifically the East and West Central and Northeast neighborhoods, where community members were
able to meet with local elected officials about youth/gang violence, domestic violence, substance
abuse, homelessness and mental health.
Mobilize youth to partner with neighborhood groups and law enforcement to prevent violence and
substance abuse and serve as leaders within their communities.
• SRDVC and SCP provided youth with leadership training and enrolled youth to serve in an AmeriCorps
term of service. Ten youths completed the AmeriCorps program and completed a training designed to
educate others on the negative impact of substance abuse and violence.
Okanogan County Community Coalition (OCCC) ($197,475)8
Through this project, OCCC improved communications between community members and law enforcement in
towns beyond their current geographic area of Omak. OCCC created postcards for officers to disperse. The
postcards explained how individuals could protect themselves from a vehicle prowl. In addition, two ads
regarding children's safety and vehicle prowls premiered before movies were shown at the local movie theater.
Community engagement events such as "Coffee with the Chief" attracted community members to spend time
with law enforcement and voice their concerns. At these events, individuals completed a survey about law
enforcement. The data points indicated:
Community members were frustrated with drug use, theft, and homelessness, which made them feel
unsafe in the community.
Community members want law enforcement officers and sheriff's deputies to be more approachable while
on duty. For example, waving hello or talking to individuals when approached.
Prosser Thrive Coalition ($181,500)9
This project increased the ability of Benton County community members to identify and prevent illegal activity
through monthly coalition meetings and equity, diversity, and inclusion training. Project results concluded:
There is a downward trend in drug and alcohol use in youth.
The Project Thrive education and awareness campaign was well received.
Teen Target Zero's program fostered increased awareness and created awareness of the effects of
impaired driving.
Dorsett Consulting ($77,500)
This project worked with law enforcement agencies and other partners to expand crime and violence
prevention strategies for Benton and Franklin County youth. Project leads provided teen and adult education to
develop youth leadership and community connections. Three courses: Teen Target Zero, Hidden in Plain Sight
and the Challenge Tri-Cities Ropes Course informed a variety of programs for youth and adults about the
dangers of drugs.
8 Front Page - Okanogan County Community Action Council (occac.com)
9 Youth Substance Abuse Prevention & Education | Prosser Thrive
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 11
In partnership with the Washington State Traffic Commission, Teen Target Zero provided training and
education to students and youth to increase knowledge and awareness of distracted/impaired driving and
drug-seeking behaviors. Seven hundred seventy-three students participated in 31 sessions, and 215 law
enforcement officers participated in training about the program.
Hidden in Plain Sight, provided by The Center for Prevention and Counseling,10 provided training and
education to families, school staff and youth-serving agencies to increase skills to identify and prevent
illegal activity. Four hundred twenty-nine individuals participated in the training.
Youth/Leadership Ropes Course increased youth leadership, communication, family bonding and trust
through ropes challenge courses. Two hundred-six individuals completed the ropes program.
West Plains Safety Partnership/City of Airway Heights11 ($165,661)
The West Plains Safety Partnership is a collaboration of service providers, public safety agencies, and
educational partners. Under the leadership of the Airway Heights Police Department, the partnership focused
on strengthening the community through aligning goals, resources, investments and energy to create safer and
healthier communities.
Summer programs for youth - The Airway Heights Police Department Police Adventure League (PAL)
program provided funding for youth to attend a structured summer program.
Enhance Crime Reduction Strategies - One goal of the West Plains Safety Partnership was to demonstrate
better collaboration in enhancing crime reduction strategies. Over 14 months, committee members
developed a needs assessment and strategies to reduce crime.
Community Engagement - From April to June 2023, the Airway Heights Police and Fire Departments held
various community and school-based events. Officers handed out child ID kits, drug lock boxes, and
pouches.
The Multi-Service Center of King County ($192,000)12
This project created spaces for community members and law enforcement staff to build community trust and
increase cooperation among law enforcement and the community. The goal was to develop equitable policies
for law enforcement to use in situations that do not require lethal force. The Multi-Service Center of King
County collaborated with the Federal Way Police Department. Outcomes included:
A Community Safety Collaboration meeting was held the first Thursday of every month.
A policy recommendation was made for the Federal Way Police Department to remove personal bias,
animosities, or friendships that might influence official conduct and prevent officers from upholding their
duties.
Developed and supported workshops for school-age youth about the dangers of violence.
Made recommendations to the city council and school board about collaborating with credible messengers
and community-based organizations who have built trust and positive rapport with youth.
Walla Walla Department of Community Health Injury Prevention13 ($198,003)
This program educated community members in Walla Walla County about how to connect with city, county,
and other local law enforcement resources. Working in collaboration with the Walla Walla and College Place
Police Departments, outreach was conducted to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement, youth
10
Hidden in Plain Sight – The Center for Prevention & Counseling
11 West Plains Safety Alliance - City of Airway Heights (cawh.org)
12 Home | Multi-Service Center (mschelps.org)
13 Walla Walla County Department of Community Health (walla-walla.wa.us)
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 12
and the Latinx community. This was done through a variety of activities such as National Night Out,
Neighborhood Block Party, Coffee with a Cop and Biking events.
A total of 39 individuals participated in various community events to strengthen their relationship with law
enforcement officers.
• Individuals aged 36-45 attended events 51% of the time.
• Sixteen males and 21 females attended the events.
• Of the 39 individuals participating in activities, 14 identified as Hispanic and 15 Non-Hispanic.
• Thirty-four individuals were White, 2 Black, and 3 Asian/Pacific Islanders attended activities.
Washington Trafficking Prevention (WTP)14 ($151,853)
Through this project, WTP facilitated activities that prevent crime by organizing community volunteers to
engage local communities, increase collaboration and partnership with law enforcement through education
and community forums, mobilize young people and empower them with tools to prevent crime and engage
businesses meaningfully to prevent sex and labor trafficking within their businesses. Activities included Pierce
and King County volunteer meetings, focus groups, community forums and a recognition event.
Final evaluation of the project concluded:
Law enforcement desires additional training to identify and respond to instances of sexual exploitation.
There is an ongoing concern that law enforcement within Pierce County has been unwilling or unable to
partner with community stakeholders regularly.
Human trafficking data is not consistent across data sources. The 2021 Washington Association of
Sheriffs and Police Chiefs15 annual crime report identified 65 human trafficking offenses in Washington,
while the National Human Trafficking Hotline16 2021 data identified 233 cases of human trafficking with
337 victims within the state.
Public perception of law enforcement is strained, with a community feeling unsafe and unheard by law
enforcement.
Tacoma Safe Street, Strengthening Community Safety Initiative (SCSI)17 ($200,000)
This project was a partnership among Tacoma Safe Street, the University of Washington Tacoma, the School
for Urban Studies18 and six BIPOC and youth-serving organizations in Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce
County. Project goals were to engage the community authentically in mapping, informing and co-designing an
initiative to plan for improvements in safety and law enforcement-community relations.
In year one of the project, SCSI focused on identifying and engaging with more community partners to broaden
work in this area, facilitate wide and deep sharing of relevant and diverse insights, and empower residents to
identify viable strategies for affecting community change. Through various focus groups and discussions,
SCSI made the following recommendations:
Make changes in law enforcement policies and practices.
14 Washington Trafficking Prevention
15
CJIS Statistics & Reports (waspc.org)
16 Home | National Human Trafficking Hotline
17 Safe Streets | Take Charge, Make Change
18 Home | School of Urban Studies | University of Washington Tacoma (uw.edu)
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 13
Identify ways organizations and individuals can interact with law enforcement to promote positive changes
and enhance community safety.
Youth can be more effectively involved in community discussions of community safety and police
relations.
Neighborhood and community organizations can enhance community safety for their members and to
improve community and police relations.
Yakima Valley Conference of Governments (YVCOG)19 ($200,000)
Through this project, the YVCOG designed and implemented an innovation network, bringing together
stakeholders from across communities to problem-solve around issues identified as priorities by community
members.
At events hosted in 17 locations in the Yakima Valley, (Grandview, Granger, Harrah, Mabton, Moxee, Naches,
Selah, Sunnyside, Tipton, Toppenish, Union Gap, Wapato, City of Yakima, Zillah, Yakama Nation, and outside
Yakima County), community members completed survey questions about public safety and needed law
enforcement focus areas. Survey questions asked if people felt safe in their community if they have ever been
victims of a crime, if so, whether the crime reported and how law enforcement prioritized their resources. The
data indicated:
Gun violence, drug crimes and activity, and gang activity were the top three areas of concern identified in
the survey.
Almost half of the 863 respondents indicated they had been a victim of crime in the Yakima Valley.
• Of the 48.4%, 42.7% did not report the crime to police. Some reasons for failing to report the crime were
fear of retribution, immigration status, embarrassment, and frustration or lack of understanding of how
to report a crime to the police.
This resulted in a Safety Plan developed by Yakima Valley law enforcement agencies and shared with city and
town councils. The plan included identifying gaps in the Valley and ways YVCOG could partner with law
enforcement to assist them in creating Block Watch Groups and facilitating city cleanups and graffiti
abatement projects throughout the Valley.
Additionally, grant funds supported setting up an additional investigative lab shared by the Yakima Police
Department and surrounding agencies. This included access to the National Integrated Ballistic Information
Network20 and a Rapid Hit DNA lab. The lab collaborates with state and federal agencies who collaborate with
other state and local police agencies in the Yakima Valley.
Community Action Days - City of Yakima21 ($75,000)
This project provided Yakima residents, schools, community organizations, businesses, and youth with the
opportunity to make neighborhood improvements through vandalism abatement efforts through at least four
action days, using funds to host community events and engage with individuals about community safety.
Approximately 606 community members were engaged with the Community Action Day program.
More than 30 community organizations attended the Community Action Day events.
More than 126 free paint buckets and kits were distributed to community members to empower them to
make neighborhood improvements through graffiti abatement.
19 Home - YVCOG - Yakima Valley Conference of Governments
20 National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (atf.gov)
21 Community Action Day is April 20th | News – City of Yakima (yakimawa.gov)
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 14
Community members who received a free paint bucket and kit said they have a new positive perception of
law enforcement and City officials.
Next Steps
In 2023, the Legislature made certain amendments to the CLEP statute and extended the sunset date for the
grant program until January 1, 2029, appropriating $3.3 million for projects for SFY 24/25 (July 1, 2023-June
30, 2025) (SB 5561).
In May 2023, Commerce issued a Request for Proposals to solicit applications for the new cycle of the CLEP
program. Applications were received from public agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations.
After a competitive procurement process, 15 community-based organizations and local and tribal governments
throughout Washington were awarded CLEP grants for the SFY 24/25 biennium. More information about those
projects will be posted on the Commerce website when available.
COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 15
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