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(T<\/span>he Center Square) \u2013 Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday afternoon expressed his support for expanding the state Criminal Justice Training Center to regional campuses to speed up training, reduce vacancies in law enforcement, and recruit more candidates to be police officers. <\/p>\n Inslee\u2019s announcement comes a day after a report<\/a><\/b> released by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs showed that in 2021 violent crimes, including murder, increased in the state while the number of police officers available to respond to incidents decreased. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m announcing today I\u2019m proposing a significant expansion of our Criminal Justice Training Commission to offer basic law enforcement training at new regional campuses across the state of Washington,\u201d said Inslee, flanked by several law enforcement officials, during a press conference<\/a><\/b> at the Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien. <\/p>\n He added, \u201cWe want good training where you live in the state of Washington. These new campuses will maintain the same high quality instruction that we have had right here in Burien.\u201d <\/p>\n Law enforcement officer shortages in Washington are unacceptable, the governor said, and regional training campuses are part of the solution. <\/p>\n \u201cNow right now we have 134 recruits who unfortunately have to wait an average of four months just to start this training,\u201d Inslee said. \u201cThat is not acceptable to us. We need these people to get on the street A-S-A-P.\u201d <\/p>\n The governor went on to say, \u201cCurrently, recruits must attend training just at this location. They\u2019ve got to travel. They\u2019ve got to be away from homes and their families. Being a law enforcement officer is tough enough without having to go through that disruption.\u201d <\/p>\n Right now, the state law enforcement training program operated by the Criminal Justice Training Center offers only limited courses outside Burien. Recruits must pass a 720-hour course before they can be certified as peace officers. <\/p>\n Limited slots and locations have proven to be a logjam for law enforcement agencies looking to hire. <\/p>\n State Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, indicated regional law enforcement training campuses will be a priority during next year\u2019s legislative session. <\/p>\n \u201cWe plan to introduce this idea during the 2023 legislative session,\u201d said the senator<\/a><\/b>, who served 31 years as a trooper in the Washington State Patrol prior to holding elected office. <\/p>\n Plans call for regional law enforcement training campuses to be located in Pasco, Vancouver, Everett, and Bellingham, according to Lovick. <\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that these training campuses will make recruitment easier and lessen the burden on our trainees who have to travel long hours for training,\u201d he explained. \u201cThis regional solution will expand access to law enforcement careers and will help train local law enforcement professionals who know the areas they serve.\u201d <\/p>\n No specific costs were mentioned at the press conference. <\/p>\n \u201cWe will have a price, but as far as I\u2019m concerned\u2026cost is not going to be the issue that we\u2019re going to deal with,\u201d Lovick said. \u201cThis is something that we need to do.\u201d <\/p>\n At least one state GOP lawmaker characterized Inslee\u2019s press conference as endorsing a Republican proposal for improving police training programs. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are delighted the governor has recognized the soundness of this idea,\u201d Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, said in a same-day statement<\/a><\/b> released prior to Inslee\u2019s afternoon press conference. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t make any headway when it was introduced in the House in 2020. Our colleagues wouldn\u2019t even give it a hearing. We didn\u2019t even bother in 2021, given the tone of the anti-police legislation that sailed out of the Legislation that session. But we are planning on making another push next year \u2013 we\u2019ve already drafted the bill.\u201d <\/p>\n Padden is referring to 2020\u2019s House Bill 2538<\/a><\/b>, which would have launched a Basic Law Enforcement Academy program in Spokane. <\/p>\n