SW Washington Independent Investigative Response Team recruiting for non-law enforcement community representatives

The team will consist of a team of qualified and certified peace officer investigators and at least two non-law enforcement community representatives

The SW Washington Independent Investigative Response team (SWIIR) is currently recruiting for Non-Law Enforcement Community members to serve on this team.  Application materials are being accepted through Aug. 19, 2021.This is a non-paid volunteer position.

With the passage of Washington State Initiative 940 in November 2018 and SHB 1064 in 2019, incidents where the use of deadly force by a peace officer results in death, substantial bodily harm, or great bodily harm require an independent investigation. The independent investigation is conducted in the same manner as a criminal investigation and state law now requires an “independent investigation” completely independent of the involved agency.

The Independent Investigative Team (IIT) will consist of a team of qualified and certified peace officer investigators and at least two non-law enforcement community representatives who operate completely independent of any involved agency to conduct investigations of police deadly force incidents. 

The IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representatives should have credibility with, and ties to, the communities impacted by the police use of deadly force. Representatives selected will participate directly in the vetting, interviewing, and/or selection of IIT certified law enforcement investigators, media communications, and use of involved agency equipment requests. 

The following are the minimum qualifications for the position of IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representative. At the time of application, the applicant shall:

1.    Be a Clark or Skamania County, Washington resident.

2.    Be able to pass a background check. 

3.    Be able to maintain a confidentiality agreement with each deadly force investigation.

4.    Attend identified training as it relates to the assigned position.

5.    Have the skills, knowledge, and abilities to effectively perform the duties and responsibilities of the position of IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representative.

• Ability to learn and understand police use of force policy and laws.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with members of police/sheriff agencies, and community.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and sign a binding confidentiality agreement for each police use of deadly force incident investigation.
• Ability to make sound and well-informed decisions.
• Maintain high standards of ethics and integrity.
• Ability to minimize and resolve conflicts in a tactful and effective manner.

6.    Have the ability to meet the time and commitments required of an IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representative position. 

• Length of commitment to this position is four (4) years, which may be adjusted based upon the needs of the department/agency and the willingness to serve. 
• Hours for this position will vary depending on the incident dynamics and the time and location of briefings, meetings, and identified training classes. IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representatives may be subject to call at various and unpredictable hours to include weekends and holidays.

Interested, qualified applicants must submit the following two documents no later than Aug. 19, 2021: 

• A letter of interest including a narrative identifying what the applicant believes their particular strengths and challenges would be in the position of IIT Non-Law Enforcement Community Representative. Letters of interest should be no longer than two pages.
• An up-to-date resume including experience, applicable training, qualifications and why the applicant believes they have credibility with, and ties to, the communities impacted by the police use of deadly force.

The letter and resume may be emailed to vanpd@cityofvancouver.us (the Vancouver Police Department is participating as the central point of collection for any electronic applications for the Non-Law Enforcement Community Representative IIT applications) or applicants may drop off their letter and resume to their local law enforcement agency during regular business hours (please note some police facilities may still be closed to the public due to COVID so please check with your local jurisdiction’s offices prior to dropping off materials). 

To access the full application announcement, or for more information on the Independent Investigation Team (IIT), or SWIIR visit: https://www.cityofvancouver.us/police/page/independent-investigation-team-iit. 

Information provided by Vancouver Police Department.