With funding from the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) has developed a Model Policy desk reference for Protection Orders, including Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), Orders to Surrender and Prohibit Weapons (OTSPWs), and DV 911 response involving firearm relinquishment.
This resource is intended to provide guidance to law enforcement on petitioning, serving, processing, and enforcing all types of court orders involving firearm relinquishment, as well as best practices for ensuring effective firearm relinquishment when responding to a DV call.
- Purpose
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Research has long cited the danger of access to firearms by those who have engaged in domestic violence and other types of gender-based violence. Research and incidents in more recent years have additionally highlighted the danger of people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis (or threats of violent behavior) having access to firearms. These risks extend not only to victims, but also frequently to their children, law enforcement officers, and to the community at large (in the form of community violence and mass shootings.) To consistently better prevent or reduce harm and more effectively address these kinds of heightened risks, and to help ensure use of best practices across the state, agency policies and the training offered to law enforcement needs to integrate those best practices, with two primary goals at the forefront: upstream intervention to quickly remove firearms during periods of heightened risk in a manner that provides due process, and swift and certain enforcement whenever these court orders are violated or ignored.
- Access the Model Policy
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Download the ERPO,OTSPW, and DV 911 Response Involving Firearm Relinquishment Model Policy Desk Reference below.
- Training Opportunities
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WSCJTC training curricula will be updated to incorporate the Model Policy in the coming months. Details will be announced soon.
- Partnerships
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This project was developed in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, legal advisors, and public safety organizations from across Washington State.
- Funding Acknowledgement
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This project was supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-23-GG-00040-BSCI awarded by the Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Department of Justice. Grant funds are administered by the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention, Washington State Department of Commerce.
Resources
For more information or support:
Diane Klontz, Assistant Director
Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission
Diane.Klontz@cjtc.wa.gov