Instructor Certification Program

The WSCJTC Instructor Certification Program is a WSCJTC initiative to give individuals the knowledge, skills, and experience to instruct Criminal Justice courses effectively and competently.

The Instructor Certification Program uses experience, feedback, and coaching to develop instructors to meet evaluation standards as certification criterion that align with WSCJTC’s values and practices.

Program Managers are responsible to evaluate and select instructors based on the qualifications required to instruct for the specific courses or instructional blocks within their programs.

Program Managers, Supervisors, or Lead Instructors will evaluate and document new instructor certification applicants for:

  • Preparedness
  • Knowledge of course materials
  • Presentation skills
  • Student interactions

The Instructor Certification Process is a tiered approach to certification with the following definitions:

Tier1: An instructor is certified to teach for an individual course or specific blocks within a course if they meet the requirements set by the Program Manager.

Tier 2: An instructor is certified to teach for multiple courses within a program, if they meet the requirements of the Program Manager and/or:

  • Successfully complete the Instructor Development I (ID) course
  • Receive and ID waiver because they have completed an equivalent training
  • Possess unique knowledge, skills, or experience that would greatly benefit Criminal Justice Personnel

Tier 3: An instructor is certified to teach for multiple courses and programs if they meet all requirements:

  • Of each Program Manager for each separate program
  • Have completed a WSCJTC approved teaching philosophy/methodology course (i.e. VALOR, Plato’s Guardians: Philosophical Warriors)

The instructor shall be recommended by the Division Manager and be approved by the Deputy Director or Executive Director.

Programs & Program Managers

Programs:

Leanna Bidinger: Leadership Program-Pre-Supervisor, First Level Supervision, Northwest Law Enforcement Command College and Executive Training Day, Statewide Training Coordinator--weekly email and approve vendor training to be posted on WSCJTC website

Alex Buijs: Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act (LETCSA)

Chris Clark: Collision Investigations, Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC), Duty to Intervene

Mike Dahl: Office of Independent Investigations (OII)

Kris Goheen: Special Investigations—Child Abuse Interviewing and Assessment (CAIA), Interviewing Techniques, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigations (SUIDI)

Bob Graham: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Statewide, Trueblood, and Support Services--Law Enforcement Records, Property and Evidence, Sheriff’s Civil Function, and Animal Control

Tisha Jones: Firearms Certificate Program--Private Security/Private Investigator (PS/PI) and Bail Bond Recovery Agents (BBRA), Certified PS/PI firearms instructors for WSCJTC, LEOSA

Starla Martin: 21st Century Police Leadership (21 CPL) and Building Public Trust

Jennifer Pendray: Coroner and Medical Examiner (C/ME)

Becky Starnes: Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Andrea Piper-Wentland: Sexual Assault Investigations-Victim Centered Engagement and Resiliency Tactics (SAI_VCERT), Case Reviews

Sylvia Feliciano: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) King County, Instructor Development

Applying for ICP

To apply for Instructor Certification, follow these steps:

  • Contact the Program Manager of the program you are interested in instructing.
  • Submit an application to the Program Manager, who will send you program specific documents.
  • All program managers arrange apprenticeships and evaluations.
  • ICP support will issue your approved certification.