Washington Third District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, toured the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) southwest Washington regional law enforcement training academy the day after her primary election win.
She spent the afternoon speaking with recruits and instructors at the facility in Vancouver on Wednesday, Aug. 7. Recruits in the basic law enforcement academy sprouted mostly from Clark County, with a few from surrounding counties, including Gluesenkamp Perez’s home of Skamania County.
Gluesenkamp Perez, who lives in rural Skamania County, knows the importance of having deputies and officers in rural areas. The Southwest Washington regional law enforcement training academy cuts travel times and the distance from home for recruits by a significant amount when compared to traveling to Burien in the Seattle Metro area.
“In our rural communities, a lot of our officers are stretched very, very thin, and we can’t afford to leave any talent on the table when our chiefs and sheriffs find a candidate they believe in,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “We need to get things organized for them. We can’t afford to have these wait times that we’ve seen, and so I’m really glad that we have this facility.”