Officials celebrated Friday’s opening of a
regional law enforcement training academy
in Vancouver, which they say will help agencies overcome staffing shortages.
Clark County Sheriff John Horch and Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori flanked Gov. Jay Inslee as the trio gripped a giant pair of scissors to cut a ceremonial ribbon in front of the academy’s temporary location, the former Image Elementary School in east Vancouver. Other law enforcement leaders from around the region clapped nearby.
Inslee hailed the state’s training curriculum as the best in the nation, and he said the speed of opening Vancouver’s academy signaled a statewide commitment to public safety.
“We know that we need additional police officers and sheriff’s officers who do a hard job every day to put themselves on the line,” Inslee said. “We need to make sure that they are well trained so that they can take care of their health and take care of citizens and reduce violence with citizens. We know to do that we need to recruit them.”
The academy is the second to open around the state outside of the main campus in Burien. The first class of about 30 new recruits will begin their five-month training Jan. 16. Most are local hires with job offers at police agencies in Clark, Cowlitz or Skamania counties.
Horch said the center was once just a dream of his, and he’s excited it has finally become a reality.
“This is a big deal for Clark County, for our region, for Southwest Washington and for the entire state,” he said.
Horch and other local law enforcement leaders have had trouble filling vacancies because new hires have long waits before they can get into the academy to complete their training. As of Friday, the Vancouver Police Department had six vacancies, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office had seven open deputy positions, along with numerous others at various stages of the hiring process.
The Vancouver Police Department has seven or eight hires in the first class of recruits attending the new close-to-home academy, Mori said.
“Why would we ask someone to leave their family for five months, especially if they’re a single parent?” Mori said. “And it’s been a barrier for so many people to have to go away. And now, they can actually commute, they can get local day care, they can drive away and get lunch here. It’s really been an amazing adventure. So we’re super excited.”
The Vancouver academy’s opening follows the opening of a center in Pasco in May. Two more are slated to open around the state to address low staffing levels. Some officers from Pasco also attended Friday’s opening ceremony.
Monica Alexander, the executive director of the Criminal Justice Training Commission, noted all the people it took to bring an academy to Vancouver. But she said the governor, in particular, was especially supportive.
“When we went to the governor with this idea, it was the fastest yes I’ve ever had,” Alexander said. “He was 100 percent behind it and has been so supportive, every single step of the way.”
Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, said she knows there are people who want to don a police badge, but training has been out of reach.
“I look forward to seeing what comes out of these halls. Because last time I was here, there was just a bunch of little kids here,” Stonier said. “And now, we can use the same facility to help create the partnerships that are going to keep them safe, healthy and connected to their communities down the road.”
